Effect of the purification procedure on capacity of human chorionic somatomammotropin to bind rat ventral prostate particles.

The purification process can cause alterations in the structure and thus in the activity of the product undergoing purification. In the case of human chorionic somatomammotropin (hCS), a protein hormone of placental origin, the possible effects of purification are unknown, even though it is prepared under mild conditions. hCS is able to displace labelled ovine prolactin from rat ventral prostate membranes and we have measured this activity in a crude and in a purified preparation of the hormone. At the same weight level, both the crude and the purified hormone are equally active.