Abstract
The existence of various polymorphic forms of FSH has been observed by a number of investigators and the current study focussed attention on the sex and age-dependent nature of this polymorphism in rats. Utilizing very small amounts of pituitary extract on Sephadex G-100 superfine columns it was possible to distinguish various components of FSH with a range of Kav values from 0,195 (Component I) to 0,297 (Component VII). Although each group exhibited the existence of all the components, there was a clear predominance of components III and IV (Kav 0.233and 0.251) in males and components V and VI (Kav 0.268 and 0.281) in femal The castrated animals of both sexes had similar components which lay in between the two sex-linked forms. To pattern of polymorphism was found to be dependent on age as the pubertal animals had components of lower Ka in comparison to immature and mature animals. Androgen substitution reversed the castration effects in males and yielded a more male type of component in ovariectomized females, whereas oestrogen treatment produced not comparable results. Carbohydrate analysis of various components indicates perhaps this polymorphism is related to the carbohydrate moiety.
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Blum, W., Eichner, M. & Gupta, D. Polymorphic changes of rat pituitary FSH depending on sex and maturation. Pediatr Res 13, 1190 (1979). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-197910000-00062
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-197910000-00062