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THE UNIVERSITY OF MANITOBA STUDIES ON OVINE PLACINTAL ...

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C. CIIHER ITUMAN PLACENTAL PEPTTDE TIORM<strong>ON</strong>E S AND' SECRETED<br />

PROTETNS.<br />

(i) HumanChorionic Thyrotropin (hCT):<br />

A thyrotropic substance was first isolated from<br />

term human placentas by Hennen in 1965. L,ike pituítary<br />

TSH, hCT stimuLates thyroid hormone secretion when injected<br />

into mice and increases uptake of inorganic phosphate ínto<br />

phosphorylatêd compounds. hcT has been found irnmunoJ-ogically<br />

to be much more closely related Èo bovine and porcine TSH<br />

than to human TSH, so that its biological- activity is more<br />

effectively neutralized by antibovine TSH than by antihuman<br />

TSH (Hennen et al, 1974; Hennen, 1975¡ Hennen and Pierce,<br />

1969). hCT is a glycoprotein and has a moLecular weight<br />

of 28,000 as determined by gel filtration (Hershman and<br />

Staines, r.97l-) . Hor¡rever, untike TSH, vrhich has an alpha-<br />

chaín identical- in peptide sequence to that of hCG, hCT<br />

probably does not contaj.n the same alpha-chain, as demonstrated<br />

by the failure to cÌoss-react !Íith hcc or hcc-alpha<br />

subunits in homologous radioimmunoas say systems (Nistula<br />

et aI , 1973t Tojo, 1975). Analysis of purified hCT by<br />

Tojo et a1 (1973) indicates an overall amino acid composition<br />

quite dist,inct from the hCG, and a much lower sugar content<br />

(3.58 versus 30t). The prímary sequence of hCT has not<br />

been determined.<br />

Un1ike the plasma concentrations of hTSH which<br />

remained within non-preçJnant Iimits, hCT became detectable<br />

early in pregnancy with an average level of 7 yg/ml plasma

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