To obtain a new gonadotropic hormone having increased FSH activity, useful for promoting the conception of animal, etc., and composed of the αand β-subunits of equine chorionic gonadotropin, wherein the β-subunit has a mutation obtained by removing C-terminal peptide sequence.
This new hormone is a gonadotropic hormone composed of the α and β-subunits of equine chorionic gonadotropin(eCG) wherein the β-subunit is a mutant β-subunit free from the C-terminal peptide sequence, having essentially promoted follicle-stimulating hormone(FSH) activity, exhibiting remarkably improved FSH activity while relatively suppressing the luteinizing hormone(LH) supposed to be a cause of follicle abscess and useful as a safer ovulation inducing agent, ovary disease treating agent, etc., for man and beast. The objective hormone can be produced by preparing an eCG gene by removing ≤39 amino acid residues from the C-terminal of the β-subunit of eCG, integrating the gene into an expression vector and expressing in a host cell.
SHIODA KUNIO
BIN KANSHIYOKU
IKEMI MASAHISA
