Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH) >98% Pure (FSHB) Human Native Protein

The pituitary glycoprotein hormone family includes follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, chorionic gonadotropin, and thyroid-stimulating hormone. All of these glycoproteins consist of an identical alpha subunit and a hormone-specific beta subunit. This gene encodes the beta subunit of follicle-stimulating hormone. In conjunction with luteinizing hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone induces egg and sperm production. Alternative splicing results in two transcript variants encoding the same protein. [provided by RefSeq]

Function: Stimulates development of follicle and spermatogenesis in the reproductive organs.

Subunit structure: Heterodimer of a common alpha chain and a unique beta chain which confers biological specificity to thyrotropin, lutropin, follitropin and gonadotropin.

Subcellular location: Secreted.

Involvement in disease: Defects in FSHB are a cause of isolated follicle-stimulating hormone deficiency (IFSHD) [

MIM:229070]. Selective follicle-stimulating hormone deficiency is an uncommon cause of infertility, producing amenorrhea and hypogonadism in women and oligo or azoospermia with normal testosterone levels in normally virilised men. Ref.15 Ref.16 Ref.17

Pharmaceutical use: Available under the names Gonal-F or Metrodin HP (Serono) and Puregon (Organon). Used in the treatment of infertility in women with proven hypopituitarism or who have not responded to clomifene; or in superovulation treatment for assisted conception (such as in vitro fertilization). Metrodin HP is also used in the treatment of hypogonadotrophic hypogonadism in men for the stimulation of spermatogenesis.

Sequence similarities: Belongs to the glycoprotein hormones subunit beta family.