Free α-Subunit, Free β-Subunit of Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG), and Intact hCG in Sera of Healthy Individuals and Testicular Cancer Patients

1992 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
pp. 370-376 ◽  
Author(s):  
S Madersbacher ◽  
R Klieber ◽  
K Mann ◽  
C Marth ◽  
M Tabarelli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Testicular Cancer ◽  
Chorionic Gonadotropin ◽  
Human Chorionic Gonadotropin ◽  
Beta Subunit ◽  
Alpha Subunit ◽  
Serum Concentrations ◽  
Healthy Individuals ◽  
Pathological Conditions

Abstract To determine the serum concentrations of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), its free beta-subunit (hCG beta), and the free alpha-subunit (free alpha) common to all human glycoprotein hormones under physiological and pathological conditions, we developed monoclonal antibody-based immunoenzymometric assays. Free alpha-subunit was detected in the sera of all healthy individuals of both sexes; hCG was measurable in sera of 54% of the men, and 46% were positive for free hCG beta; in nonpregnant women, 69.5% were positive for hCG, 68.4% for the free beta-subunit. Pathological conditions, i.e., hCG-producing tumors, were studied in vitro and in vivo. In vitro, the concentrations of hCG, free hCG beta, and free alpha in tissue-culture supernates of a choriocarcinoma cell-line ("JAR") showed a parallel pattern during time-course analysis. In vivo, in long-term follow-up studies of 13 patients with testicular cancer, serum concentrations of the three analytes paralleled each other, whether the disease was in remission or not. Because of a selective increase of free hCG beta and free alpha in 27% of seminomatous tumor patients and in 13% of the nonseminomatous patients, the percentage of tumor-marker-positive sera was increased from 15% to 42% and 57% to 70%, respectively, by the additional measurement of free hCG beta and free alpha. Thus hCG, free hCG beta, and free alpha are physiologically present in a high percentage of the sera from healthy men, and the determination of free hCG beta and free alpha, although not of prognostic value, improves the diagnostic possibilities in patients with testicular cancer.

Does tumor-derived human chorionic gonadotropin act as a thyroid stimulator in vivo?

1993 ◽  
Vol 39 (2) ◽  
pp. 229-233 ◽  
Author(s):  
S Madersbacher ◽  
S Schwarz ◽  
K Mann ◽  
R Klieber ◽  
G Wick ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Chorionic Gonadotropin ◽  
Human Chorionic Gonadotropin ◽  
Testicular Tumor ◽  
Thyroid Stimulating Hormone ◽  
Serum Concentrations ◽  
Thyroid Status ◽  
Thyroxine Binding Globulin ◽  
High Concentrations ◽  
Physiological Values

Abstract To evaluate in vivo the proposed intrinsic thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) activity (TSA) of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), we monitored over 0.5-1 years the thyroid status of eight patients with hCG-producing non-seminomatous testicular cancer. The patients' sera were analyzed for concentrations of hCG, free thyroxine (fT4), hTSH, and thyroxine-binding globulin (TBG). All patients had excessively high concentrations of hCG (1 x 10(5)-5 x 10(8) ng/L, mean: 1 x 10(7) ng/L) before polychemotherapy, which decreased under successful therapy to physiological values (< 240 ng/L). Although the serum concentrations of hCG varied by more than six orders of magnitude, we saw no changes and no correlation (P > 0.05) between the concentrations of hCG and the concentrations of fT4 and hTSH. Not even when hCG concentrations were greatest (> 5 x 10(7) ng/L) were any signs of hyperthyroidism observed: fT4 (3.5-13 ng/L) and hTSH (9-700 ng/L) were in the physiological range in all patients and remained so during chemotherapy. The results of this longitudinal study were confirmed in analyzing the data for all eight patients (total: 82 samples) cross-sectionally. Again, we found no correlation (P > 0.05) between the concentrations of hCG and fT4 or hCG and hTSH. We conclude that even excessive amounts of testicular tumor-derived hCG do not display any TSH-like activity in vivo.

Human chorionic gonadotropin improves endometrial receptivity by increasing the expression of homeobox A10

2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (6) ◽  
pp. 413-424
Author(s):  
Mengchen Zhu ◽  
Shanling Yi ◽  
Xiaomin Huang ◽  
Junan Meng ◽  
Haixiang Sun ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Chorionic Gonadotropin ◽  
Human Chorionic Gonadotropin ◽  
Embryo Implantation ◽  
Endometrial Receptivity ◽  
Endometrial Stromal Cells ◽  
Healthy Control ◽  
Hcg Receptor ◽  
Methyltransferase 1

Abstract Homeobox A10 (HOXA10) is a characterized marker of endometrial receptivity. The mechanism by which hCG intrauterine infusion promotes embryo implantation is still unclear. This study seeks to investigate whether hCG improves endometrial receptivity by increasing expression of HOXA10. HOXA10 expression with human chorionic gonadotropin stimulation was analyzed in vitro and in vivo. Our results demonstrate that HOXA10 was decreased in the endometria of recurrent implantation failure patients compared to that in the healthy control fertile group, also we observed that hCG intrauterine infusion increased endometrial HOXA10 expression. HOXA10, blastocyst-like spheroid expansion area was increased, whereas DNA (cytosine-5-)-methyltransferase 1 was decreased when human endometrial stromal cells (hESCs) were treated with 0.2 IU/ml of hCG for 48 h. HOXA10 promoter methylation was also reduced after hCG treatment. Collagen XV (ColXV) can repress the expression of DNA (cytosine-5-)-methyltransferase 1, and hCG treatment increased the expression of ColXV. However, when the hESCs were treated with LH/hCG receptor small interfering RNA to knock down LH/hCG receptor, hCG treatment failed to repress DNA (cytosine-5-)-methyltransferase 1 expression or to increase ColXV expression. Our findings suggest that hCG may promote embryo implantation by increasing the expression of HOXA10.

Discordant Results in Human Chorionic Gonadotropin Assays

1992 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 263-270 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laurence A Cole ◽  
Andrew Kardana
Keyword(s):  
Chorionic Gonadotropin ◽  
Human Chorionic Gonadotropin ◽  
Terminal Segment ◽  
Beta Subunit ◽  
Alpha Subunit ◽  
Individual Sample ◽  
Serum Samples ◽  
Subunit C ◽  
Core Fragment ◽  
Alpha Type

Abstract Discordance has been reported in human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) concentrations measured by different immunoassay kits. We examined the results for 40 serum samples assayed with 10 different hCG immunoassay kits. Results varied considerably. Individual sample results varied by as much as 58-fold. Average results for different kits varied by as much as 1.4-fold for pregnancy (20 samples) and 2.2-fold for trophoblast disease (20 samples) serum. We investigated the causes of this discordance. hCG or hCG beta are general names for mixtures of hCG, hCG alpha, or hCG beta immunoreactive molecules in serum. These mixtures include regular hCG, nicked hCG (missing peptide linkages at beta 44-45 or beta 47-48), carbohydrate variants of hCG, hCG missing the beta-subunit C-terminal segment, free beta-subunit, beta-core fragment, and free alpha-subunit. We prepared standards for each of these major variants and measured their reactivities in the 10 hCG immunoassay kits. Free beta-subunit reactivity varied from nonrecognition (anti-beta:anti-alpha type kits; Hybritech Tandem-R and others) to overrecognition (one kit had five-fold greater affinity for free beta than for hCG). Kits with antibodies to beta-subunit C-terminal segment (Organon NML and others) failed to recognize hCG missing this segment, a component of serum hCG in trophoblast disease. Kits with anti-hCG antibodies (Serono MAIA-clone and others) had minimal recognition of nicked hCG (12%), a component of all serum hCG samples, and consistently gave the lowest values with all serum samples. We conclude that differences in recognition of nicked hCG, free beta, and these other hCG variants cause discordance in hCG immunoassay results.

scholarly journals Investigations into the post-translational modification and mechanism of isopenicillin N:acyl-CoA acyltransferase using electrospray mass spectrometry

1993 ◽  
Vol 294 (2) ◽  
pp. 357-363 ◽  
Author(s):  
R T Aplin ◽  
J E Baldwin ◽  
P L Roach ◽  
C V Robinson ◽  
C J Schofield
Keyword(s):  
Mass Spectrometry ◽  
Electrospray Mass Spectrometry ◽  
Beta Subunit ◽  
Alpha Subunit ◽  
British Library ◽  
Beta Subunits ◽  
Post Translational Modification ◽  
Acetic Acids

Electrospray mass spectrometry (e.s.m.s.) was used to confirm the position of the post-translational cleavage of the isopenicillin N:acyl-CoA acyltransferase preprotein to give the alpha- and beta-subunits. The e.s.m.s. studies suggested partial modification of the alpha-subunit in vivo by exogenously added substituted acetic acids. E.s.m.s. has also allowed the observation in vitro of the transfer of the acyl group from several acyl-CoAs to the beta-subunit. N.m.r. data for the CoA species have been deposited as Supplementary Publication SUP 500173 (2 pages) at the British Library Document Supply Centre (DSC), Boston Spa, Wetherby, West Yorkshire LS23 7BQ, from whom copies can be obtained on the terms indicated in Biochem. J. (1993) 289, 9.

Inhibition of tumor growth in vitro and in vivo by a monoclonal antibody against human chorionic gonadotropin β

2007 ◽  
Vol 114 (2) ◽  
pp. 94-102 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ning Yu ◽  
Wei Xu ◽  
Zhenggang Jiang ◽  
Qinghua Cao ◽  
Yiwei Chu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Monoclonal Antibody ◽  
Tumor Growth ◽  
Chorionic Gonadotropin ◽  
Human Chorionic Gonadotropin ◽  
Inhibition Of Tumor Growth

Effects of the antiandrogen hydroxyflutamide on progesterone secretion by preovulatory rat follicles in vivo and in vitro

1991 ◽  
Vol 69 (9) ◽  
pp. 1288-1293 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yallampalli Chandrasekhar ◽  
David T. Armstrong
Keyword(s):  
Luteinizing Hormone ◽  
Chorionic Gonadotropin ◽  
Human Chorionic Gonadotropin ◽  
Serum Progesterone ◽  
Antagonistic Action ◽  
Lh Surge ◽  
Progesterone Secretion ◽  
Preovulatory Follicles

Serum and ovarian progesterone levels and in vitro production of progesterone by preovulatory follicles were measured on proestrus in pregnant mare's serum gonadotropin (PMSG) primed immature rats in which the luteinizing hormone (LH) surge and ovulation were blocked by administration of the antiandrogen hydroxyflutamide. Serum progesterone levels observed at 12:00 on proestrus were significantly elevated, twofold above those observed in vehicle-treated controls, by in vivo administration of 5 mg hydroxyflutamide 4 h earlier. In control rats, proestrous progesterone did not increase until 16:00, in parallel with rising LH levels of the LH surge. No LH surge occurred in the hydroxyflutamide-treated rats, ovulation was blocked, and serum progesterone declined throughout the afternoon of proestrus, from the elevated levels present at 12:00. Administration of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) at 11:00 advanced the elevation of serum progesterone by 2 h in vehicle-treated controls and prevented the decline in progesterone levels in hydroxyfiutamide-treated rats. The patterns of change in ovarian tissue concentrations with time and treatment were essentially similar to those observed for serum progesterone. In in vitro experiments, progesterone secretion during 24 h culture of preovulatory follicles obtained on PMSG-induced proestrus was significantly increased, sixfold, by addition to the culture media of 370 μM but not of 37 μM hydroxyflutamide. Testosterone (50 nM) and hCG (20 mIU/mL) caused 26- and 14-fold increases, respectively, in progesterone secretion by cultured follicles. Hydroxyflutamide significantly reduced the stimulatory effect of testosterone but not of hCG on progesterone secretion in vitro. These results suggest that the antiandrogen hydroxyflutamide stimulates progesterone secretion, both in vivo and in vitro, through an initial androgen-agonistic action, before its antagonistic action is expressed. Its androgen-antagonistic action is responsible for its ability to inhibit testosterone-induced progesterone secretion in vitro. Its failure to reduce hCG-stimulated progesterone secretion in vivo and in vitro indicates that the latter stimulation is exerted independently of, and not as a consequence of, androgen action. The decrease in serum progesterone levels on the afternoon of proestrus therefore appears to be a consequence rather than a cause of the absence of an LH surge in the hydroxyflutamide-treated rats. It is concluded that the inhibitory effect of hydroxyflutamide on the preovulatory LH surge and ovulation is due not to inhibition of progesterone secretion at the ovarian level but most likely to neuroendocrine site(s) of action of the inhibitor.Key words: antiandrogen, hydroxyflutamide, progesterone, luteinizing hormone, ovulation, human chorionic gonadotropin.

Reduction of Testicular Human Chorionic Gonadotropin Receptors by Human Chorionic Gonadotropin in vivo and in vitro

1988 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 156-161 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mikio Namiki ◽  
Masaya Kitamura ◽  
Norio Nonomura ◽  
Masahiro Nakamura ◽  
Akihiko Okuyama ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Chorionic Gonadotropin ◽  
Human Chorionic Gonadotropin ◽  
Gonadotropin Receptors
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