Background information
Thyroid stimulating hormone, also known as thyrotropin, is secreted from cells in the anterior pituitary called thyrotrophs, finds its receptors on epithelial cells in the thyroid gland, and stimulates that gland to synthesize and release thyroid hormones. TSH is a glycoprotein hormone composed of two subunits which are non covalently bound to one another. The alpha subunit of TSH is also present in two other pituitary glycoprotein hormones, follicle stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone, and, in primates, in the placental hormone chorionic gonadotropin. Each of these hormones also has a unique beta subunit, which provides receptor specificity. In other words, TSH is composed of alpha subunit bound to the TSH beta subunit, and TSH associates only with its own receptor. Free alpha and beta subunits have essentially no biological activity.
