SYNTHETIC HUMAN PITUITARY GROWTH HORMONE AND METHOD OF PRODUCING IT

摘要

Synthetic human pituitary growth hormone (HGH) is produced by attaching phenylalanine, the COOH terminal amino acid of HGH, to a solid resin support, and then coupling stepwise to the supported acid the remaining 187 amino acid residues of the HGH molecule, using the general technique of solid phase peptide synthesis with suitable protective and blocking groups, and deblocking and coupling agents. The resulting synthetic polypeptide chain of 188 amino acid residues is liberated from the resin support and all protecting groups are removed. Then the synthetic hormone is oxidized under controlled conditions effective to form two disulfide bridges across the cysteine residues in the chain, thereby forming the two intra-molecular rings which are required to reproduce the correct conformation of the HGH molecule. The resulting synthetic hormone reacts immunologically with rabbit antiserum to HGH and possesses growth-promoting and lactogenic activity.