Human Chorionic Gonadotropin - Structure

Structure

Human chorionic gonadotropin is a glycoprotein composed of 244 amino acids with a molecular mass of 36.7 kDa.

It is heterodimeric, with an α (alpha) subunit identical to that of luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), and β (beta) subunit that is unique to hCG.

  • The α (alpha) subunit is 92 amino acids long. The sequence of the alpha unit can be found on UniProtKB with ID: P01215.
  • The β-subunit of hCG gonadotropin contains 145 amino acids, encoded by six highly homologous genes that are arranged in tandem and inverted pairs on chromosome 19q13.3 - CGB (1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8). The sequence of the beta unit can be found on UniProtKB with ID: P01233.

The two subunits create a small hydrophobic core surrounded by a high surface area-to-volume ratio: 2.8 times that of a sphere. The vast majority of the outer amino acids are hydrophilic.

Many steroid users use hCG to boost their natural testosterone production after cycling. This is because their testicles will usually slow down or stop producing testosterone as a side effect whilst being on cycle.

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