Enables hormone activity. Acts upstream of or within several processes, including female gonad development; oocyte maturation; and ovulation. Predicted to be located in extracellular region. Predicted to be active in cytoplasm and extracellular space. Is expressed in several structures, including endocrine system; female organism; kidney; liver; and male organism. Human ortholog(s) of this gene implicated in hypogonadotropic hypogonadism 23 with or without anosmia. Orthologous to several human genes including LHB (luteinizing hormone subunit beta).