Blastokinin and analogous proteins

Abstract

The paper is a review of recent work with blastokinin, a uterine-specific protein of rabbit, and includes consideration of patterns of synthesis, induction by progestagens, metal-binding capacity, translation of its RNA message, possible changes in the molecule, and comparison with the "cone" protein of the oviduct. Other uterine proteins have been identified in the rabbit by their enzymatic or hormonal activity and shown to be distinct from blastokinin though present in the uterine lumen at the same time. Proteins which are temporally or chemically analogous to blastokinin in other species are discussed, including the question of whether a blastokinin-like protein occurs in women. Discussion of the comparative significance of such proteins must await a clearer definition of their function.