Missense mutations in the growth hormone receptor dimerization region in Laron syndrome

Journal Article · Thu Sep 01 04:00:00 EDT 1994 · American Journal of Human Genetics

OSTI ID:134164

Berg, M A; Francke, U ^[1]; Geffner, M E; Bersch, N ^[2]

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1. Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford, CA (United States)
2. Univ. of California, Los Angeles, CA (United States); and others

Laron syndrome (LS) is an autosomal recessively inherited condition characterized by insensitivity to endogenous and exogenous GH. Affected individuals have severe episodes and other characteristic features. GH receptor gene mutations are present in all affected individuals in whom molecular studies have been reported. The GH receptor is a plasma membrane-spanning protein in which the extracellular domain binds circulating GH and the intracellular domain interacts with the JAK-2 kinase and possibly other intracellular signaling molecules. GH receptor dimerization occurs on GH binding and is thought to be required for normal signal transduction. We have studied the GH receptor genes of four unrelated individuals affected with LS from the United States, Italy, Saudi Arabia, and India. We have identified four different missense mutations that alter consecutive amino acids 152 to 155 in or near the dimerization domain of the GH receptor. One of these mutations, D152H, has been reported previously in Asian LS patients and, in in vitro studies, the mutant receptor was unable to dimerize. This report increases to over 20 the number of different GH receptor gene mutations that have been reported in LS patients and defines the first apparent mutational {open_quotes}hotspot{close_quotes} region in this gene. This cluster of mutations in patients with classic LS phenotype provides additional in vivo evidence that receptor dimerization plays an important role in signaling GH`s growth promoting and metabolic effects. Further in vitro studies of the mutations in this region are in progress.

• OSTI ID: 134164
• Report Number(s): CONF-941009--
• Journal Information: American Journal of Human Genetics, Journal Name: American Journal of Human Genetics Journal Issue: Suppl.3 Vol. 55; ISSN AJHGAG; ISSN 0002-9297
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

55 BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE
BASIC STUDIES
AMINO ACIDS
DIMERIZATION
GENE MUTATIONS
GENES
HEREDITARY DISEASES
HUMAN CHROMOSOME 15
METABOLIC DISEASES
METABOLISM
PATIENTS
PHENOTYPE
PROTEINS
RECEPTORS
RECESSIVE MUTATIONS
STH