Lutropin receptor and thyrotropin receptor share a common epitope

In the present work, using an immunological approach, we have investigated the existence of common epitopes between two receptors of the glycoprotein hormone family, lutropin (LH) and thyrotropin (TSH) receptors. We have immunized high responder mice with purified porcine LH receptors obtained by successive affinity chromatographies on agarose-human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) gels. From one fusion of splenocytes with the murine myeloma NSC1, secreting hybridomas were tested for their anti-LH receptor specificities. During sequential selection for this activity including direct recognition of the purified LH receptors in dot-blot assays and displacement experiments of 125I-pLH and 125I-hCG binding to different sources of receptors, we performed a parallel investigation of their anti-porcine TSH receptor activities. Purified immunoglobulins from two of them showed a TSH-like activity on the iodide metabolism of porcine thyroid cell, this activity being related to the phosphoinositide breakdown pathway; moreover, these antibodies obtained after immunization with porcine LH receptors were able to immunopurify human TSH receptors. The double selection process led us to characterize three groups of immunoglobulins: exclusive specificities for lutropin receptors or thyrotropin receptors and cross-reactive specificities. Our results demonstrate the possibility of sequence homologies at the protein and the gene levels between the receptors for the glycoprotein hormone family supporting the hypothesis of a common origin in evolution.