The major hormone-specific epitopes on human chorionic gonadotropin

Charrel-Dennis, Marie, Jackson, A. M., Lund, Torben, Lapthorn, Adrian J., Berger, Peter, Roitt, Ivan and Delves, Peter J. (2004) The major hormone-specific epitopes on human chorionic gonadotropin. Journal of molecular endocrinology, 32 (2) . pp. 571-581. ISSN 0952-5041 [Article]

Abstract

The hormone human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) shows extensive sequence homology with LH. Thus, many of the antigenic epitopes on hCG are shared with LH, leading to immunological cross-reaction between these two hormones. Anti-fertility and anti-cancer vaccines based upon hCG should ideally target only the hCG-specific epitopes. The hCG-unique linear epitopes located in the C-terminal peptide of the hCG beta-chain are well characterised. In contrast, the hCG-specific discontinuous epitopes, termed beta1, beta6 and beta7, have remained poorly defined. By generating hCG beta-chain molecules containing single amino acid substitutions we have identified R10, N13, R60 and Q89 as being important in the formation of the beta1 epitope, with R60 providing a particularly dominant residue. We also show that the amino acid residue Q89 contributes to the beta7 epitope, whilst D61 plays a role in both the beta6 and beta7 epitopes.

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