Loss of biological activity of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) by the amino acid substitution on the “CMGCC” region of the α-subunit

A chimeric recombinant human gonadotropin, termed C3, demonstrates both follitropic and lutropic bioactivities. The α-subunit construct for C3 is comprised of the recombinant wild-type human glycoprotein hormone α-subunit. The β-subunit DNA construct for C3 encodes residues 1–145 from human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG)-β with the exceptions that FSHβ amino acid 88 (D) is substituted for hCGβ amino acid 94 (R) and FSHβ amino acids 95–108 (TVRGLGPSYCSFGE) are substituted for hCGβ amino acids 101–114 (GGPKDHPLTCDDPR). C3 is a potent FSH and LH agonist able to bind and to signal through FSH and LH receptors in vitro. In in vivo bioassays optimized to quantify each type of activity, C3 was found to have lutropin and follitropin potencies at levels similar to those of recombinant human LH and recombinant human FSH, respectively. In immature rats, C3 was sufficient to support the maturation of normal ovarian follicles. Moreover, a significant portion of follicles matured by C3 ruptured in response to an ovulatory hCG stimulus and gave rise to morphologically normal oocytes. Furthermore, a low dose of C3 promoted weight gain in the rodent uterus, suggesting it also supported preparation for implantation without histological evidence of excessive luteinization of the ovary. In summary, the biological properties of C3 indicate that its chimeric nature has resulted in a fully functional, dual-acting human gonadotropin.

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Translational Fusion of Two β-Subunits of Human Chorionic Gonadotropin Results in Production of a Novel Antagonist of the Hormone

Endocrinology ◽

10.1210/en.2006-1499 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 148 (8) ◽

pp. 3977-3986 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Satarupa Roy ◽

Sunita Setlur ◽

Rupali A. Gadkari ◽

H. N. Krishnamurthy ◽

Rajan R. Dighe

Keyword(s):

Chorionic Gonadotropin ◽

Human Chorionic Gonadotropin ◽

Expression System ◽

Biologically Active ◽

Chain Molecule ◽

Dependent Manner ◽

Β Subunit ◽

Single Chain ◽

Α Subunit ◽

Lh Receptor

The strategy of translationally fusing the α- and β-subunits of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) into a single-chain molecule has been used to produce novel analogs of hCG. Previously we reported expression of a biologically active single-chain analog hCGαβ expressed using Pichia expression system. Using the same expression system, another analog, in which the α-subunit was replaced with the second β-subunit, was expressed (hCGββ) and purified. hCGββ could bind to LH receptor with an affinity three times lower than that of hCG but failed to elicit any response. However, it could inhibit response to the hormone in vitro in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, it inhibited response to hCG in vivo indicating the antagonistic nature of the analog. However, it was unable to inhibit human FSH binding or response to human FSH, indicating the specificity of the effect. Characterization of hCGαβ and hCGββ using immunological tools showed alterations in the conformation of some of the epitopes, whereas others were unaltered. Unlike hCG, hCGββ interacts with two LH receptor molecules. These studies demonstrate that the presence of the second β-subunit in the single-chain molecule generated a structure that can be recognized by the receptor. However, due to the absence of α-subunit, the molecule is unable to elicit response. The strategy of fusing two β-subunits of glycoprotein hormones can be used to produce antagonists of these hormones.

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