Endocrine Abstracts

Glycoprotein hormones are used clinically in the treatment of many diseases. One major issue regarding the clinical use of many peptides is their short half-life due to the rapid clearance from the circulation. The major strategies for overcoming this problem by pharmaceutical companies are based on chemical techniques. To overcome this problem, we used genetic engineering techniques that have been found successful for designing long acting hormones. Overlapping PCR techniques...

Introduction: Thyrotropin (TSH) and the gonadotropins (FSH, LH, hCG) are a family of heterodimeric glycoprotein hormones composed of two noncovalently linked subunits, α and β. hTSH, heterodimer was converted to a biologically active single-peptide chain, by fusing the common α subunit to the carboxyl-terminal end of hTSHβ subunit in the absence (hTSHβα) or presence of a ~30 aminoacid carboxyl-terminal peptide fr...

Thyrotropin (TSH) and the gonadotropins (FSH, LH, hCG) are a family of heterodimeric glycoprotein hormones composed of two noncovalently linked subunits, α and β. The hTSH heterodimer was converted to a biologically active single-peptide chain (hTSHβCTPα), by fusing the common α subunit to the carboxyl terminal end of hTSHβ subunits in the presence of a ~30 aminoacid peptide from hCGβ (CTP) as a linke...

Objectives: The main goal of the present study is to investigate the role of N-linked oligosaccharides on the structure and function of human thyrotropin (hTSH). A second aim of the present study is to design new analogs of hTSH.Methods: Overlapping PCR technique was used to convert hTSH heterodimer to a biologically active single chain by fusing the α subunit to the carboxyl terminal end of hTSHβ subunit in the absence (hTSHβα) or pr...

Human GH is a member of a family of closely related hormones that include prolactin and placental lactogen. GH regulates a wide variety of physiological processes, including growth and differentiation of muscle, bone and cartilage cells. The use of GH for the treatment of children with impaired linear growth has been accepted as an important therapeutic modality for many years. In addition, beneficial effects of GH replacement therapy in hypopituitary adults are well establish...