Demonstration of Immunological Similarities of Human Pregnancy Gonadotropin and Choriocarcinoma Gonadotropin with Antisera Prepared in Rabbits and Monkeys

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Abstract
Some of the immunological characteristics of the gonadotropin excreted by pregnant women have been compared to those of the gonadotropin excreted by women with choriocarcinoma. Antisera produced in rabbits and monkeys to both gonadotropins were capable of inhibiting the biological activity of both gonadotropin preparations in vivo. A single line of precipitation with a “reaction of identity” on an Ouchterlony gel plate was obtained between pregnancy and choriocarcinoma gonadotropins when reacted with carefully prepared monkey or rabbit antisera to the 2 gonadotropins. This precipitin line was correlated with biological gonadotropic activity in the urine and serum of pregnant women and choriocarcinoma patients. It also correlated with the biological activity in eluates from paper chromatography strips after electrophoresis of the gonadotropin preparations. Absorption of each antiserum with either pregnancy or choriocarcinoma gonadotropin would prevent the precipitin reaction when the antiserum was reacted with the other gonadotropin. Thus, no antigenic differences were apparent between the 2 gonadotropins by the methods used.