The long-term objective of this project is to discover how gonadotropins act. In this application, we propose to develop and use monoclonal antibodies which bind to LH-, FSH-, and hCG- receptor complexes to study the orientation of the hormones after they bind to testicular receptors. We will monitor changes in the orientation of the hormone to identify events such as receptor clustering and internalization. In addition, we will utilize the monoclonal antibody tools to quantify the amounts of LH and FSH which become bound to testicular receptors in vivo. These latter experiments are designed to study the coupling of receptor occupancy to response in physiological conditions. Specifically we want to investigate the mechanisms responsible for increased testosterone secretion seen in the absence of changes in levels of circulating LH.
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