Subunits of human chorionic gonadotropin: unbalanced synthesis and secretion by clonal cell strains derived from a bronchogenic carcinoma.

Three clones of ectopic hormone-producing cells from a single human neoplasm (bronchogenic carcinoma) show different rates of synthesis and secretion of chorionic gonadotropin and its alpha and beta subunits. For each clone, the amount of one or the other subunit always exceeded that of the complete hormone molecule. These findings may be analogous to unbalanced immunoglobulin chain synthesis in certain forms of myeloma.