Gonadotropin receptors of human corpus luteum during menstrual cycle and pregnancy.

Specific high-affinity low-capacity binding of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) and lutropin (hLH) was demonstrated in the plasma membrane fractions of human corpora lutea. The number of binding sites for both hormones increased from early to late luteal phase, whereas regressing corpus luteum from proliferative phase did not bind either hormone. On the basis of apparent dissociation constants the affinity of the receptor for hLH is highest during early luteal phase and decreases toward the end of the cycle, which may reflect an increasing insensitivity of the corpus luteum to circulating hLH. By contrast, the affinity of the receptor for hCG is highest in the midluteal phase. There are gonadotropin binding sites in the human corpus luteum also during pregnancy, but they are saturated by endogenous hCG. Evidence for this was obtained by elution of hCG with 0.15M sodium chloride at pH 2.3 from washed plasma membrane fractions of luteal tissue from six to 16 week's gestation. After acid treatment and neutralization these preparations showed specific binding for 125I-labeled hCG, but not for 125I-labeled hLH. Our results demonstrate a shift in the balance of affinity of the gonadotropin receptor from hLH to hCG during the course of luteal phase, and during pregnancy the binding sites appear to be available for hCG only.