Studies on the Isolation and Chemical-Physical Properties of Porcine Follicle-Stimulating Hormone*

Methods are described for isolating highly purified FSH from porcine pituitary glands. The biological activity of pure material was 22 NIH-FSH-P2 U/mg, as judged by the ovarian weight augmentation bioassay. Virtually no immunoreactive LH was indicated by RIA, and only one component was detected by both gel electrophoresis and immunoprecipitation. Amino acid and carbohydrate analyses of the highly purified FSH indicated the presence of 1-tryptophan, a high content of aspartic and glutamic acids, and 6% sialic acid. Molecular weights of untreated and guanidine- treated porcine FSH were estimated from hydrodynamic measurements of Stokes radii and sedimentation coefficients. A highly specific and sensitive RIA was also developed for this hormone. (Endocrinology102: 1874, 1978)