Reichert L E, Dattatreyamurty B, Grasso P, Santa-Coloma T A
Department of Biochemistry, Albany Medical College, NY 12208.
Trends Pharmacol Sci. 1991 May;12(5):199-203. doi: 10.1016/0165-6147(91)90547-6.
The primary structures of the glycoprotein hormones follitropin (FSH), lutropin (LH), human choriogonadotropin (hCG) and thyrotropin (TSH) have been determined, hCG has been crystallized and initial diffraction data obtained. Studies with synthetic peptides have provided information on regions involved in receptor interaction and signal transduction. The receptors for the glycoprotein hormones have been prepared by gene cloning methods and their primary structures deduced. As Leo Reichert and colleagues discuss here, although cAMP is involved in glycoprotein hormone signal transduction, recent evidence also implicates other second messengers, especially Ca2+ and may include both the phosphatidylinositol pathway and activation of Ca2+ channels.
