EVALUATION OF 2 MARKERS OF CELL MATURATION AND PROLIFERATION IN CULTURED AMNIOTIC CELLS OF TRISOMY-18 FETUSES AT THE 15TH WEEK OF GESTATION

Intensive studies have been conducted so far on biochemical markers av ailable for screening of chromosome defects in obstetrical monitoring. In this paper we report further data on two protein phosphatases: alk aline phosphatase (a marker of cell maturation) and phosphotyrosine ph osphatase (a marker of cell proliferation) assayed in cultured amnioti c cells from fetuses with trisomy 18 at 15 weeks of gestation. Compari son with normal fetal cells showed a different behaviour for each enzy me: alkaline phosphatase was very significantly lowered while phosphot yrosine phosphatase remained at normal levels. These results provide a further enlargement of the field of biochemical markers used in the s creening tests of trisomy 18. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd.