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.

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.

Effect of peptide nicking in the human chorionic gonadotropin β-subunit on stimulation of recombinant human thyroid-stimulating hormone receptors

1994 ◽  
Vol 130 (1) ◽  
pp. 92-96 ◽  
Author(s):  
Masayoshi Yoshimura ◽  
A Eugene Pekary ◽  
Xuan-Ping Pang ◽  
Loretta Berg ◽  
Laurence A Cole ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Los Angeles ◽  
Chorionic Gonadotropin ◽  
Human Chorionic Gonadotropin ◽  
Hormone Receptors ◽  
Thyroid Stimulating Hormone ◽  
Human Thyroid ◽  
Β Subunit ◽  
Trophoblastic Diseases ◽  
Thyrotropic Activity ◽  
Stimulating Hormone

Yoshimura M, Pekary AE, Pang X-P, Berg L, Cole LA, Kardana A, Hershman JM. Effect of peptide nicking in the human chorionic gonadotropin β-subunit on stimulation of recombinant human thyroid-stimulating hormone receptors. Eur J Endocrinol 1994;130:92–6. ISSN 0804–4643 It is now generally accepted that human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) has thyroid-stimulating activity. Heterologous forms of the hCG molecule occur in the purified preparations extracted from urine of pregnant women and patients with trophoblastic diseases. This work was undertaken to determine the effect of peptide nicking in the hCG-β subunit on its thyrotropic potency. Using Chinese hamster ovary cells expressing functional human thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) receptors, we examined the effect of nicked hCG on cyclic AMP (cAMP) production and receptor binding. The effect of human leukocyte elastase (hLE), a nicking enzyme, on standard hCG also was examined in the cAMP assay and on receptor binding. We studied five hCG preparations extracted from the urine of normal pregnancy (CR-127 and P8) and trophoblastic diseases (C2, C5 and M4). Two preparations (C2, 96% nicked and M4, 100% nicked in the β44–49 region) showed about a 1.5-fold potency of standard hCG CR-127, which is also 20% nicked in the same region. Non-nicked hCG (P8) had the weakest potency among all of the samples tested. Treatment of standard hCG with hLE increased the cAMP response about two-fold. Dose-dependent displacement of bovine [125I]TSH by standard hCG and hLE-digested hCG was observed and was almost identical. We have confirmed the increased in vitro thyrotropic activity of hCG nicked in the β-intercysteine loop on recombinant human TSH receptors. These data suggest that peptide heterogeneity of the hCG molecule may modulate the in vivo thyrotropic activity of hCG in pregnant women and patients with trophoblastic diseases. Jerome M Hershman, Endocrinology-W111D, West Los Angeles VA Medical Center, Los Angeles, California 90073, USA

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.

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