ABSTRACT
VII. Metabolism and Clearance of Free Subunits ................................................................ 67
VIII. Beta Core Fragment ..................................................................................................... 69
Acknowledgments ................................................................................................................. 70
References .............................................................................................................................. 70
The glycoprotein hormones, pituitary lutropin (LH), follitropin (FSH), and thyrotropin (TSH), and placental choriogonadotropin (CG), are all noncovalently linked heterodimers. Each hormone is composed of a like alpha subunit, and a differing beta subunit which infers the unique biological and immunological activities.1.2 The subunits, in addition to being heterogeneous in structure, as in isohormones, are also heterogeneous in state, existing in both an uncombined or free form, and as part of an alpha-beta dimer.
