A synthetic peptide corresponding to human FSH beta-subunit 33-53 binds to FSH receptor, stimulates basal estradiol biosynthesis, and is a partial antagonist of FSH.

The authors have previously shown that hFSH-{beta} 34-37 (KTCT) and 49-52 (TRDL) inhibit binding of {sup 125}I-hFSH to FSH receptor in calf testis membranes and that hFSH-{beta} 33-53, which encompasses these tetrapeptides, inhibits binding with increased potency. hFSH-{beta} 33-53 rapidly dimerizes under conditions utilized in the receptor binding assay (pH 7.5) so that the binding inhibition reported earlier was due to the hFSH-{beta} 33-53 dimer rather than the monomer. At pH 6.5, conversion to dimer does not occur, and binding inhibition could be unequivocally attributed to the monomer. Radioiodinated and alkylated hFSH-{beta} 33-53 binds to the FSH receptor. The biological activity of hFSH-{beta} 33-53 was assessed by its ability to affect the conversion of androstenedione to estradiol in rat Sertoli cells cultures. This result demonstrates that the free R-SH group at Cys51 is not responsible for the inhibition. FSH-{beta} 33-53 also significantly stimulated basal levels of estradiol synthesis, but not to maximal levels observed with FSH (partial agonist). Neither the carbohydrate content of hFSH-{beta} nor the {alpha} subunit of FSH appears to be essential for signal transduction and expression of the hormone effect of FSH-{beta} 33-53.