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HCG

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Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG) is a member of the family of glycoprotein hormones. It is a cystine rich protein made up of an alpha and a beta subunit: “Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) is a ~38 kD heterodimeric glycoprotein. The two subunits, alpha (15kD) and beta (23kD), are both glycosylated” (Human 1). Human chorionic gonadotropin is a hormone that is manufactured by the cells in the placenta. The hormone is responsible for causing the fertilized egg to release estrogen and progesterone. The hormone is also used to help treat cases of undescended testicles. Often its use is helpful in helping infertile women be able to release eggs from the ovaries. Hormones are biologically significant because they are chemicals which contain messages which help regulate or control many of the body’s processes. Hormones are divided or classified into four chemical groups. Steroids, amino acid derivatives, peptides or proteins and fatty acid derivatives. Human chorionic gonadotropin is a protein. Human chorionic gonadotropin was originally discovered or identified because of its involvement in the reproduction process.

Human chorionic gonadotropin contains the two alpha and beta subunits, but the function of them is not known at present. Researchers theorize that the beta-subunit is involved in receptor binding since beta subunits generally confer target specificity. The alpha receptor is thought to play an active role once b

. . .
. Human chorionic gonadotropin has, at 30%, the highest carbohydrate content of any human glycoprotein hormone” (hCG 1). hCG has many important functions biologically. During the second half of the menstrual cycle, the LH levels naturally decrease. hCG aids in the production of progesterone from the corpus luteum during this period. Only the whole molecule of hCG has biological activity. In the kidney the hCG molecule is broken down and excreted. Because the levels of the molecule are higher when a woman is pregnant, detection of it in the urine have long been the goal of pregnancy tests, “The principal clinical significance of hCG resides in the fact that elevations above background levels are usually associated with pregnancy. Consequently, reliable detection of hCG in serum and urine has long been a goal of pregnancy tests. Quantitative serum hCG levels are also useful in the monitoring of pregnancy processes, estimation of a conception date, and are also useful in the detection of ectopic pregnancies” (hCG 1). In the early days of hCG research, in order to determine its presence, researchers injected urine into an animal that would show some identifiable response to hCG’s presence. The crystal structure of hCG has
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Approximate Word count = 1288
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page)

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