Molecular Cloning and Nucleotide Sequence Analysis of Complementary Deoxyribonucleic Acid for the β-Subunit of Rat Follicle Stimulating Hormone

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Abstract
To provide a hybridization probe for analysis of the regulation of rat gonadotropin subunit mRNA levels, an effort was made to isolate a cloned cDNA for the .beta.-subunit of rat FSH (FSH.beta.). Using a cloned bovine FSH.beta. cDNA as a hybridization probe, a rat pituitary .lambda.gt10 cDNA library was screened and a single, strongly hybridizing clone identified. The 874 base pair cDNA insert from this clone contains the complete sequence of rat FSH.beta. including an amino-terminal precursor segment. Hybridization of this cloned cDNA to rat ptituitary RNA demonstrated the presence of an approximately 2.0 kilobase RNA species containing FSH.beta. sequences. Cloned rat cDNA was also used to demonstrate that estrogen treatment of ovariectomized female rats results in decreases in mRNA concentrations for FSH.beta. and the .beta.-subunit of LH with somewhat smaller decreases in .alpha.-subunit mRNA concentrations. Little or no change was detected in the mRNA for the .beta.-subunit of TSH.

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