Discordant results on body fluid levels of human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) free α- and β-subunits under physiological and pathophysiological conditions, prompted us to raise a total of 260 monoclonal antibodies (MCA) against free hCG-α, free hCG-β, holo-hCG, human follicle-stimulating hormone and bovine luteinizing hormone; 153 MCA recognizing the human α-subunit and 28 reacting with hCG-β were extensively analysed for their intra- and interspecies cross-reactivity with homologous hormones, and for the compatibility of epitopes recognized by them. The immunological topography of free hCG-α and free hCG-β was resolved by these MCA, and epitope maps were designed. Six antigenic determinants on the free α-chain (α1–α6), clustered in three spatially distinct domains, and seven epitopes on the surface of free hCG-β (β1–β7), could be distinguished. Strikingly, three α-chain epitopes (α4, α5 and α6) were shared between various species, which is in contradiction to the concept of immunological species-specificity of α-subunits. Three determinants were found to be present only on the free subunits but not on holo-hCG (α6, β6 and β7), and only two determinants (β1 and β7) were hormone-specific for hCG. Based on this information, an immunoenzymometric assay for the free α-subunit of human glycoprotein hormones was established, with a sensitivity of 1·3 pg/well and a cross-reactivity with holo-hCG of less than 0·005% Thus this assay provides the basis for detecting free α-subunits in the presence of extremely high levels of holo-hormones, which may assist in elucidating the role of free α-subunits in man.
Journal of Endocrinology (1990) 125, 301–309
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