ABSTRACT
The basic biochemical properties of equine pituitary gonadotropins have been well established. I -6 As in other species, these hormones, as well as thyrotropin (TSH), are glycoproteins, composed of two dissimilar, noncovalently bound alpha and beta subunits. The alpha subunits of luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), and TSH have identical peptide structures within a single species.7 In several species, only one gene coding for the alpha subunit of gonadotropins and TSH has been found. 8-1O Although the alpha subunit is required for biological activity, it is the beta subunit which varies and confers the hormonal specificity of these hormones.
