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Research Article Free access | 10.1172/JCI107496
Department of Medicine, Harbor General Hospital, Torrance, California 90509
Department of Medicine, UCLA School of Medicine, Los Angeles, California 90024
Department of Biochemistry, UCLA School of Medicine, Los Angeles, California 90024
Find articles by Beall, G. in: JCI | PubMed | Google Scholar
Department of Medicine, Harbor General Hospital, Torrance, California 90509
Department of Medicine, UCLA School of Medicine, Los Angeles, California 90024
Department of Biochemistry, UCLA School of Medicine, Los Angeles, California 90024
Find articles by Chopra, I. in: JCI | PubMed | Google Scholar
Department of Medicine, Harbor General Hospital, Torrance, California 90509
Department of Medicine, UCLA School of Medicine, Los Angeles, California 90024
Department of Biochemistry, UCLA School of Medicine, Los Angeles, California 90024
Find articles by Solomon, D. in: JCI | PubMed | Google Scholar
Department of Medicine, Harbor General Hospital, Torrance, California 90509
Department of Medicine, UCLA School of Medicine, Los Angeles, California 90024
Department of Biochemistry, UCLA School of Medicine, Los Angeles, California 90024
Find articles by Pierce, J. in: JCI | PubMed | Google Scholar
Department of Medicine, Harbor General Hospital, Torrance, California 90509
Department of Medicine, UCLA School of Medicine, Los Angeles, California 90024
Department of Biochemistry, UCLA School of Medicine, Los Angeles, California 90024
Find articles by Cornell, J. in: JCI | PubMed | Google Scholar
Published December 1, 1973 - More info
Rabbits were immunized with bovine thyroid-stimulating hormone (bTSH), bovine Inteinizing hormone (bLH), and their subunits. In two immunization experiments, thyroid-stimulating activity was found in the serum of 6 out of 12 rabbits immunized with bTSHβ subunits. The thyroid-stimulating activity in the anti-bTSHβ sera was greater at 2 h than at 8, was eluted with the globulin fraction from Sephadex G-100, was completely neutralized by both anti-bTSH and anti-rabbit gamma globulin, and was completely suppressed by administration of triiodothyronine (T3) to the immunized rabbit. These findings led to the conclusion that the thyroid-stimulating activity resided in soluble complexes of rabbit TSH bound to anti-bTSHβ. Two of nine rabbits immunized with bTSH developed thyroid-stimulating activity in their serum, but it was nonsuppressible by T3. None of the animals immunized with bTSHα, bLH, bLHβ, or bLHα developed serum thyroid-stimulating activity.
Hypopituitary hypothyroidism, evidenced by decreased serum thyroxine (T4) and thyroidal 131I uptake and by the histologic appearance of large follicles with flat cells, was found in the bTSHβ- and bTSH-immunized animals, despite the presence of thyroid-stimulating activity in the serum of many. The reasons for this paradox are unclear; possibly the complexes block the effect of TSH on the rabbit thyroid.