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Encyclopedia > Human chorionic gonadotropin
HCG polypeptide structure
chorionic gonadotropin, beta polypeptide
Identifiers
Symbol CGB
HUGO 1886
Entrez 1082
OMIM 118860
RefSeq NM_000737
UniProt Q8WXL1
Other data
Locus Chr. 19 q13.3

Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) is a peptide hormone produced in pregnancy, that is made by the embryo soon after conception and later by the syncytiotrophoblast (part of the placenta). Its role is to prevent the disintegration of the corpus luteum of the ovary and thereby maintain progesterone production that is critical for a pregnancy in humans. hCG may have additional functions, for instance it is thought that it affects the immune tolerance of the pregnancy. Early pregnancy testing generally is based on the detection or measurement of hCG. Image File history File links HCG_structure. ... Hugo is a masculine name. ... The Entrez logo The Entrez Global Query Cross-Database Search System allows access to databases at the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) website. ... The Mendelian Inheritance in Man project is a database that catalogues all the known diseases with a genetic component, and - when possible - links them to the relevant genes in the human genome. ... The National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) is part of the US National Library of Medicine (NLM), which is a branch of the US National Institutes of Health. ... Swiss-Prot is a curated biological database of protein sequences created in 1986 by Amos Bairoch during his PhD and developed by the Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics and the European Bioinformatics Institute. ... Short and long arms Chromosome. ... Chromosome 19 is one of the 23 pairs of chromosomes in humans. ... Peptide hormones are a class of peptides that are secreted into the blood stream and have endocrine functions in living animals. ... A pregnant woman near the end of her term Pregnancy is the carrying of one or more embryos or fetuses by female mammals, including humans, inside their bodies. ... It has been suggested that embryology be merged into this article or section. ... The term conception can refer to more than one meaning: Concept Fertilisation This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Syncytiotrophoblasts are cells found in the placenta of human embryos. ... The placenta is an ephemeral (temporary) organ present in female placental vertebrates during gestation (pregnancy), but a placenta has evolved independently also in other animals as well, for instance scorpions and velvet worms. ... The corpus luteum (Latin for yellow body) is a small, temporary endocrine structure in animals. ... For ovary as part of plants see ovary (plants) Ovaries are egg-producing reproductive organs found in female organisms. ... Progesterone is a C-21 steroid hormone involved in the female menstrual cycle, pregnancy (supports gestation) and embryogenesis of humans and other species. ... A pregnant woman near the end of her term Pregnancy is the carrying of one or more embryos or fetuses by female mammals, including humans, inside their bodies. ... A modern pregnancy test A pregnancy test is a test to determine whether or not a woman is pregnant. ...

Contents

Structure

hCG is an oligosaccharide glycoprotein composed of 244 amino acids with a molecular mass of 36.7 kDa. Its total dimensions are 75x35x30 angstroms (7.5x3.5x3 nanometers). An oligosaccharide is a saccharide polymer containing a small number (typically three to six) of component sugars, also known as simple sugars. ... A glycoprotein is a macromolecule composed of a protein and a carbohydrate (an oligosaccharide). ... Phenylalanine is one of the standard amino acids. ... The molecular mass (abbreviated MM) of a substance, formerly also called molecular weight and abbreviated as MW, is the mass of one molecule of that substance, relative to the unified atomic mass unit u (equal to 1/12 the mass of one atom of carbon-12). ... Possible meanings: Kachin Defense Army Kentucky Distillers Association Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace This page expands a three-character combination which might be any or all of: an abbreviation, an acronym, an initialism, a word in English, or a word in another language. ... A nanometre (American spelling: nanometer) is 1. ...


It is heterodimeric, with an α (alpha) subunit identical to that of luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) and β (beta) subunit that is unique to hCG. Sucrose, or common table sugar, is composed of glucose and fructose. ... In structural biology, a protein subunit or subunit protein is a single protein molecule that assembles (or coassembles) with other protein molecules to form a multimeric or oligomeric protein. ... Luteinizing hormone (LH) is a hormone synthesized and secreted by gonadotropes in the anterior lobe of the pituitary gland. ... Follicle stimulating hormone Follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) is a hormone synthesised and secreted by gonadotropes in the anterior pituitary gland. ... Thyroid-stimulating hormone (also known as TSH or thyrotropin) is a hormone synthesized and secreted by thyrotrope cells in the anterior pituitary gland which regulates the endocrine function of the thyroid gland. ...

  • The α (alpha) subunit is 92 amino acids long and has dimensions 60x25x15 angstroms (6x2.5x1.5 nm).
  • βhCG is encoded by six highly homologous genes which are arranged in tandem and inverted pairs on chromosome 19q13.3 - CGB(1,2,3,5,7,8).

The two subunits create a small hydrophobic core surrounded by a high surface area to volume ratio 2.8 times that of a sphere. The vast majority of the outer amino acids are hydrophilic. The Alpha subunit of glycoprotein hormones is a peptide formed by gene found on chromosome 6. ... In structural biology, a protein subunit or subunit protein is a single protein molecule that assembles (or coassembles) with other protein molecules to form a multimeric or oligomeric protein. ... For other meanings of this term, see gene (disambiguation). ... Chromosome 19 is one of the 23 pairs of chromosomes in humans. ... In chemistry, hydrophobic or lipophilic species, or hydrophobes, tend to be electrically neutral and nonpolar, and thus prefer other neutral and nonpolar solvents or molecular environments. ... The adjective hydrophilic describes something that likes water (from Greek hydros = water; philos = friend). ...


Function

hCG interacts with the LHCG receptor and promotes the maintenance of the corpus luteum during the beginning of pregnancy causing it to secrete the hormone progesterone. Progesterone enriches the uterus with a thick lining of blood vessels and capillaries so that it can sustain the growing fetus. Due to its highly negative charge hCG may repel the immune cells of the mother, protecting the fetus during the first trimester. It has also been suggested that hCG levels are linked to the severity of morning sickness in pregnant women.[1] The luteinizing hormone/choriogonadotropin receptor (LHCGR), also lutropin/choriogonadotropin receptor (LCGR) is a transmembrane receptor that interacts with both luteinizing hormone (LH) and chorionic gonadotropins (such as hCG in humans) and represents a G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR). ... The corpus luteum (Latin for yellow body) is a small, temporary endocrine structure in animals. ... A pregnant woman near the end of her term Pregnancy is the carrying of one or more embryos or fetuses by female mammals, including humans, inside their bodies. ... Progesterone is a C-21 steroid hormone involved in the female menstrual cycle, pregnancy (supports gestation) and embryogenesis of humans and other species. ... The uterus or womb is the major female reproductive organ of most mammals, including humans. ... The endometrium is the uterine membrane in mammals which is thickened in preparation for fertilization, and into which a fertilized egg is implanted upon its arrival into the uterus. ... The arterial system The blood vessels are part of the circulatory system and function to transport blood throughout the body. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Human fetus at eight weeks. ... Morning sickness, also called nausea and vomiting of pregnancy (NVP) or pregnancy sickness, affects between 50 and 95 percent of all pregnant women as well as some women who take birth control pills or hormone replacement therapy. ...


Because of its similarity to LH, hCG can also be used clinically to induce ovulation in the ovaries as well as testosterone production in the testes. As the most abundant biological source is women who are presently pregnant, some organizations collect urine from gravidae to extract hCG for use in fertility treatment. Luteinizing hormone (LH) is a hormone synthesized and secreted by gonadotropes in the anterior lobe of the pituitary gland. ... Ovulation is the process in the menstrual cycle by which a mature ovarian follicle ruptures and discharges an ovum (also known as an oocyte, female gamete, or casually, an egg) that participates in reproduction. ... For ovary as part of plants see ovary (plants) Ovaries are egg-producing reproductive organs found in female organisms. ... Testosterone is a steroid hormone from the androgen group. ... Human male anatomy The testicles, known medically as testes (singular testis), are the male generative glands in animals. ... A pregnant woman, or gravida Human pregnancy refers to the process by which a human female carries a live offspring from conception until it develops to the point where the offspring is capable of living outside the womb. ... Assisted reproductive technology (ART) is a general term that some biology students have to research. ...


Pregnancy testing

Pregnancy tests measure the levels of hCG in the blood or urine to indicate the presence or absence of an implanted embryo. A modern pregnancy test A pregnancy test is a test to determine whether or not a woman is pregnant. ... Human blood smear: a - erythrocytes; b - neutrophil; c - eosinophil; d - lymphocyte. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... Mammalian embryogenesis is the process of cell division and cellular differentiation which leads to the development of a mammalian embryo. ...


In particular, most pregnancy tests employ a monoclonal antibody (MAb), which is specific to the β-subunit of hCG (βhCG). This is important so that tests do not make false positives by confusing hCG with LH and FSH. (The latter two are always present at varying levels in the body, while hCG levels are negligible except during pregnancy.) Scientists recognize two different sorts of error:[1] Statistical error: the difference between a computed, estimated, or measured value and the true, specified, or theoretically correct value (see errors and residuals in statistics) that is caused by random, and inherently unpredictable fluctuations in the measurement apparatus. ...

  • The urine test may be a chromatographic immunoassay or any of several other test formats, home-, physician's office-, or laboratory-based.[2] Published detection thresholds range from 20 to 100 mIU/ml (milli International Units per milli-liter), depending on the brand of test.[3] The urine should be the first urine of the morning when hCG levels are highest. If the specific gravity of the urine is above 1.015, the urine should be diluted.
  • The serum test, using 2-4 mL of venous blood, is typically a chemiluminescent or fluorimetric immunoassay[2] that can detect βhCG levels as low as 5 mIU/ml and allows quantitation of the βhCG concentration. The ability to quantitate the βhCG level is useful in the evaluation of ectopic pregnancy and in monitoring germ cell and trophoblastic tumors.

Hydatiform moles ("molar pregnancy") may produce high levels of βhCG, despite the absence of an embryo. This, as well as several other conditions, can lead to false positive readings of pregnancy tests. A urinalysis (or UA) is an array of tests performed on urine, usually used in medical diagnosis. ... An immunoassay is a biochemical test that measures the level of a substance in a biological liquid, typically serum or urine, using the reaction of an antibody or antibodies to its antigen. ... In pharmacology, the International unit (IU, alternatively abbreviated UI, from French unité internationale) is a unit of measurement for the amount of a substance, based on measured biological activity (or effect). ... The liter (spelled liter in American English and litre in Commonwealth English) is a unit of volume. ... Relative density (also known as specific gravity) is a measure of the density of a material. ... Blood plasma is the liquid component of blood, in which the blood cells are suspended. ... Germ cell tumours are ovarian neoplasms derived from germ cells. ... Gestational trophoblastic disease — usually referred to as a mole — is a very rare abnormality of pregnancy in the reproductive female that involves abnormal trophoblast proliferation. ... Hydatiform mole (or mola hydatiforma) is a disease of trophoblastic proliferation. ...


Tumor marker

βhCG is also secreted by some cancers including teratomas, choriocarcinomas and islet cell tumors. When a patient is suspected of harboring a teratoma (often found in the testes and ovaries but also in the brain as a dysgerminoma), a physician may consider measuring βhCG. Cancer is a class of diseases or disorders characterized by uncontrolled division of cells and the ability of these to spread, either by direct growth into adjacent tissue through invasion, or by implantation into distant sites by metastasis (where cancer cells are transported through the bloodstream or lymphatic system). ... A teratoma is a type of neoplasm (specifically, a tumor). ... Choriocarcinoma is a rare cancer of the placenta, curable by chemotherapy. ... Neuroendocrine tumors, or more properly gastro-entero-pancreatic or gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (GEP-NETs), are cancers of the interface between the endocrine (hormonal) system and the nervous system. ... Human male anatomy The testicles, known medically as testes (singular testis), are the male generative glands in animals. ... For ovary as part of plants see ovary (plants) Ovaries are egg-producing reproductive organs found in female organisms. ... In animals the brain, or encephalon (Greek for in the head), is the control center of the central nervous system. ... Dysgerminomas are one of the germ cell tumour ovarian neoplasms. ...


Elevated levels cannot prove the presence of a tumor, and low levels do not rule it out (an exception is in males who do not naturally produce βhCG). Nevertheless, elevated βhCG levels fall after successful treatment (e.g. surgical intervention or chemotherapy), and a recurrence can often be detected by the finding of rising levels. Chemotherapy is the use of chemical substances to treat disease. ...


Use as medication

hCG is extensively used as a parenteral medication in fertility therapy in lieu of luteinizing hormone. In the presence of one or more mature ovarian follicles, ovulation can be triggered by the administration of hCG. As ovulation will happen about 40-45 hours after the injection of hCG, procedures can be scheduled to take advantage of this time sequence. Thus, patients who undergo IVF, typically receive hCG to trigger the ovulation process, but have their eggs retrieved at about 36 hours after injection, a few hours before the eggs actually would be released from the ovary. In pharmacology and toxicology, a route of administration is the path by which a drug, fluid, poison or other substance is brought into contact with the body 1. ... Luteinizing hormone (LH) is a hormone synthesized and secreted by gonadotropes in the anterior lobe of the pituitary gland. ... Ovulation is the process in the menstrual cycle by which a mature ovarian follicle ruptures and discharges an ovum (also known as an oocyte, female gamete, or casually, an egg) that participates in reproduction. ... In vitro fertilization (IVF) is a technique in which egg cells are fertilized outside the mothers body in cases where conception is difficult or impossible through normal intercourse. ...


As hCG supports the corpus luteum, administration of hCG is used in certain circumstances to enhance the production of progesterone. The corpus luteum (Latin for yellow body) is a small, temporary endocrine structure in animals. ... Progesterone is a C-21 steroid hormone involved in the female menstrual cycle, pregnancy (supports gestation) and embryogenesis of humans and other species. ...


In the male, hCG injections are used to stimulate the leydig cells to synthesize testosterone. The intratesticular testosterone is necessary for spermatogenesis from the sertoli cells. Typical indications for hCG in men include hypogonadism and fertility treatment. Leydig cells, also known as interstitial cells of Leydig, are found adjacent to the seminiferous tubules in the testes. ... Testosterone is a steroid hormone from the androgen group. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... The Sertoli cell is the nurse cell of the testes. ... Hypogonadism is a medical term for a defect of the reproductive system which results in lack of function of the gonads (ovaries or testes). ...


hCG sold under brand names including Pregnyl, Follutein, Profasi, and Novarel use chorionic gonadotropins derived from the urine of pregnant women, while Ovidrel is a product of recombinant technology. Novarel and hCG from APP are typically considered generics in the United States.


Use with anabolic steroids

In the world of performance enhancing drugs, hCG is increasingly used in combination with various Anabolic Androgenic Steroid (AAS) cycles. Chemical structure of the natural anabolic hormone testosterone, 17b-hydroxy-4-androsten-3-one. ...


When AAS are put into a male body, the body's natural negative feedback loops cause the body to shut down its own production of testosterone via shutdown of the HPTA (hypothalamic-pituitary-testicular axis). High levels of AASs that mimic the body's natural testosterone trigger the hypothalamus to shut down its production of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) from the hypothalamus. Without GnRH the pituitary gland stops releasing luteinizing hormone (LH). LH normally travels from the pituitary via the blood stream to the testes where it triggers the production and release of testosterone. Without LH, the testes shut down their production of testosterone, causing testicular atrophy ("shrinking testicles"). Testosterone is a steroid hormone from the androgen group. ... The hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis is a way of referring to the combined effects of the hypothalamus, pituitary gland, and gonads as if these individual endocrine glands were a single entity. ... The hypothalamus (from Greek ὑποθαλαμος = under the thalamus) is a region of the mammalian brain located below the thalamus, forming the major portion of the ventral region of the diencephalon and functioning to regulate certain metabolic processes and other autonomic activities. ... Gonadotropin-releasing hormone 1 (GNRH1 also called LHRH) is a peptide hormone responsible for the release of FSH and LH from the anterior pituitary. ... The pituitary gland, or hypophysis, is an endocrine gland about the size of a pea that sits in a small, bony cavity (pituitary fossa) covered by a dural fold (sellar diaphragm) at the base of the brain. ... Luteinizing hormone (LH) is a hormone synthesized and secreted by gonadotropes in the anterior lobe of the pituitary gland. ... The testicles, or testes (singular testis), are the male generative glands in animals. ...


In males, hCG mimics LH and helps restore / maintain testosterone production in the testes. As such, hCG is commonly used during and after steroid cycles to maintain and restore testicular size as well as endogenous testosterone production. However, if hCG is used for too long and in too high a dose, the resulting rise in natural testosterone will eventually inhibit its own production via negative feedback on the hypothalamus and pituitary.


References

  1. ^ Askling, J; Erlandsson G, Kaijser M, et. al. (1999 Dec 11). "Sickness in pregnancy and sex of child". The Lancet 354 (9195): 2053. PMID 10636378. Retrieved on 2006-07-13. 
  2. ^ a b Richard A. McPherson, Matthew R. Pincus, (2006). Henry's Clinical Diagnosis and Management by Laboratory Methods, 21st edition, Philadelphia: Saunders. ISBN 1-4160-0287-1. 
  3. ^ Waddell, Rebecca Smith (2006). FertilityPlus.org. Home Pregnancy Test hCG Levels and FAQ. Retrieved on June 17, 2006.

For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... July 13 is the 194th day (195th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 171 days remaining. ... June 17 is the 168th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (169th in leap years), with 197 days remaining. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ...

External links

  • MeSH Chorionic+Gonadotropin

  Results from FactBites:
 
Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG) (723 words)
The human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) test is done to measure the amount of the hormone hCG in blood or urine to see whether a woman is pregnant.
HCG is made by the placenta during pregnancy.
HCG levels are generally tested in a woman who may have abnormal tissue growing in her uterus, a molar pregnancy, or a cancer in the uterus (choriocarcinoma) rather than a normal pregnancy.
Human chorionic gonadotropin Summary (1702 words)
Human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) is a glycoprotein hormone produced by the extraembryonic tissue of the early human embryo.
The presence of HCG in the urine of a woman is indicative of pregnancy.
Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) is a peptide hormone produced in pregnancy, that is made by the embryo soon after conception and later by the syncytiotrophoblast (part of the placenta).
  More results at FactBites »


 

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