Go Annotations as Summary Text (Tabular View) (GO Graph)

GO curators for mouse genes have assigned the following annotations to the gene product of Afp. (This text reflects annotations as of Wednesday, January 23, 2013.)

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Summary from NCBI RefSeq

[Summary is not available for the mouse gene. This summary is for the human ortholog.] This gene encodes alpha-fetoprotein, a major plasma protein produced by the yolk sac and the liver during fetal life. Alpha-fetoprotein expression in adults is often associated with hepatoma or teratoma. However, hereditary persistance of alpha-fetoprotein may also be found in individuals with no obvious pathology. The protein is thought to be the fetal counterpart of serum albumin, and the alpha-fetoprotein and albumin genes are present in tandem in the same transcriptional orientation on chromosome 4. Alpha-fetoprotein is found in monomeric as well as dimeric and trimeric forms, and binds copper, nickel, fatty acids and bilirubin. The level of alpha-fetoprotein in amniotic fluid is used to measure renal loss of protein to screen for spina bifida and anencephaly. [provided by RefSeq, Jul 2008]

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Summary text based on GO annotations supported by experimental evidence in mouse

• Researchers have inferred from direct assay, that the gene product of Afp
  • participates in the following biological processes:
    • SMAD protein signal transduction ^[4]
  • is located in the following cellular components:
    • cytoplasm ^[5]
    • extracellular space ^{[1, 2, 3]}
• Researchers have inferred, based on phenotypic analysis of mouse mutants, that the gene product of Afp
  • participates in the following biological processes:
    • ovulation from ovarian follicle ^[2]
    • progesterone metabolic process ^[2]
    • sexual reproduction ^[2]

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Summary text based on GO annotations supported by experimental evidence in other organisms

• From comparative sequence analysis (see table for details), MGI curators have determined that the gene product of Afp:
  • is located in the following cellular components:
    • cytoplasm
    • extracellular space

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Summary text based on GO annotations supported by structural data

• Afp encodes a protein or proteins that contain the following InterPro domains: Alpha-fetoprotein, Serum albumin, Serum albumin, conserved site, Serum albumin, N-terminal, Serum albumin, subgroup, Serum albumin-like, indicating that the gene product:
  • participates in the following biological processes:
    • transport

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Summary text for additional MGI annotations

• Automated translation to GO terms of SwissProt keywords that describe Afp indicates that it:
  • performs the following molecular functions:
    • metal ion binding
  • is located in the following cellular components:
    • extracellular region
• Afp has been associated with the Enzyme Commission numbers: 3.2.1.31, which implies that the gene product:
  • performs the following molecular functions:
    • beta-glucuronidase activity

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References

1. Blankenhorn EP et al. (1988) Chromosomal location of the regulator of mouse alpha-fetoprotein, Afr-1. Genetics, 119:687-91. (PubMed:2456965)
2. Gabant P et al. (2002) Alpha-fetoprotein, the major fetal serum protein, is not essential for embryonic development but is required for female fertility. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 99:12865-70. (PubMed:12297623)
3. Olsson M et al. (1977) Genetic control of alpha-fetoprotein synthesis in the mouse. J Exp Med, 145:819-27. (PubMed:67170)
4. Sirard C et al. (1998) The tumor suppressor gene Smad4/Dpc4 is required for gastrulation and later for anterior development of the mouse embryo. Genes Dev, 12:107-19. (PubMed:9420335)
5. Trojan J et al. (1995) Expression of serum albumin and of alphafetoprotein in murine normal and neoplastic primitive embryonic structures. Mol Reprod Dev, 42:369-78. (PubMed:8607965)

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Gene Ontology Evidence Code Abbreviations:

EXP Inferred from experiment

IC Inferred by curator

IDA Inferred from direct assay

IEA Inferred from electronic annotation

IGI Inferred from genetic interaction

IMP Inferred from mutant phenotype

IPI Inferred from physical interaction

ISS Inferred from sequence or structural similarity

ISO Inferred from sequence orthology

ISA Inferred from sequence alignment

ISM Inferred from sequence model

NAS Non-traceable author statement

ND No biological data available

RCA Reviewed computational analysis

TAS Traceable author statement

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