Achondroplastic Dwarfism—Effects of Treatment with Human Growth Hormone

Two male patients with achondroplastic dwarfism aged 7-5/12 and 14½ years were treated with human growth hormone 5 mg daily. Both showed nitrogen retention on balance studies, the older second patient to a marked degree. In the younger patient, height increased from 95.4 to 106.3 cm on hgh 5 mg daily alone for 14 out of 24 months. The rate of growth approximately doubled during the first two treatment periods as compared with the pre-treatment rate. In the second older patient hgh was administered 5 mg daily intramuscularly for 21 out of 33 months. Growth from 129.6 cm to 137.8 cm occurred with the rate increasing following the addition of Na-1-thyroxine to the routine. This increased growth rate occurred during the post-puberty deceleration phase. Bone ages, interpreted from changes in the phalanges and metacarpals, increased from 4½ to 6 years during 16 months in Case 1, and from 13½ to 18 years in 33 months in Case 2. Transient adolescent gynecomastia appeared in Case 2. No local or general toxic effects were noted.These results are suggestive, but whether or not the eventual height of an achondroplastic dwarf can be significantly altered must await further studies.     

Is Growth Hormone Resistance/IGF-1 Reduction Good for You?

GH, IGF-1, and insulin are emerging as important and independent mediators of tumor development and aging. Two recent studies report that humans with GH-receptor deficiency are protected from developing cancer through alterations in GH, IGF-1, and insulin signaling, decreasing the susceptibility of cells to DNA damage and abnormal proliferation.     

Mink Growth Hormone Structural–Functional Relationships: Effects of Renaturing and Storage Conditions

Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, in vitro bioassay and enzyme-linked immunoassay were used to study the structural-functional relationships of recombinant mink growth hormone (mGH), refolded and stored under different conditions. Porcine GH (pGH) was synthesized and used as an example. These two hormones, when refolded and stored the same way, had the same secondary structures, biological and immunological efficacy, and biological potency. Only the immunological potency differed, mGH being significantly less potent than pGH. Renaturation pH and storing frozen or at 4 °C in 5% glycerol did not affect either the secondary structure or the activity. However, freeze-drying raised the content of buried α-helices and lowered that of solvated α-helices and of unordered structures. These conformational changes were associated with a reduction of immunological and biological potency of mGH and of immunological potency of pGH. These findings provide original information on the secondary structure of mGH, and show that conformational changes induced by lyophilization adversely affect its activity.     

Acromegaly—The Effects of Various Steroid Hormones on the Insulin-Induced Growth Hormone Response

The availability of a sensitive assay for human growth hormone has made it possible to directly measure the effects of various agents purported to alter growth patterns. Acromegalic patients present a special problem both in early diagnosis and in therapy. Being able to measure growth hormone in these patients provides an accurate index of activity and a precise measure of therapeutic effectiveness.In an attempt to determine whether a pituitary block of growth hormone secretion is feasible in this condition, a study was made of the effects of estrogen, androgen and glucocorticoid administration on growth hormone response to a standard insulin tolerance test in a patient with active acromegaly. In the dosage schedules used in this study, it was not possible to suppress either basal growth hormone secretion or blunt its responsiveness to the normal physiologic stimulus of hypoglycemia.     

Delayed Phenotypic Expression of Growth Hormone Transgenesis during Early Ontogeny in Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar)?

Should growth hormone (GH) transgenic Atlantic salmon escape, there may be the potential for ecological and genetic impacts on wild populations. This study compared the developmental rate and respiratory metabolism of GH transgenic and non-transgenic full sibling Atlantic salmon during early ontogeny; a life history period of intense selection that may provide critical insight into the fitness consequences of escaped transgenics. Transgenesis did not affect the routine oxygen consumption of eyed embryos, newly hatched larvae or first-feeding juveniles. Moreover, the timing of early life history events was similar, with transgenic fish hatching less than one day earlier, on average, than their non-transgenic siblings. As the start of exogenous feeding neared, however, transgenic fish were somewhat developmentally behind, having more unused yolk and being slightly smaller than their non-transgenic siblings. Although such differences were found between transgenic and non-transgenic siblings, family differences were more important in explaining phenotypic variation. These findings suggest that biologically significant differences in fitness-related traits between GH transgenic and non-transgenic Atlantic salmon were less than family differences during the earliest life stages. The implications of these results are discussed in light of the ecological risk assessment of genetically modified animals.     

Hormone als Schadstoffe?

Environmental estrogens Endocrine disrupters are environmental substances which interfere with the hormone system of organisms and thereby induce adverse effects. They exert their biological activity either by disrupting hormone metabolism or by imitating the biological action of the endogenous hormones. In the aquatic environment, an important group of endocrine disrupters is represented by the estrogen‐active compounds, which mimic the female sex hormone, 17β‐estradiol. Both laboratory experiments and field studies on fishes have demonstrated that already very low concentrations of environmental estrogens are able to induce disturbances in the hormone system and hormone‐regulated processes of fishes.     

Measuring Parathyroid Hormone (PTH) in Patients with Oxidative Stress – Do We Need a Fourth Generation Parathyroid Hormone Assay?

Oxidation of PTH at methionine residues results in loss of biological activity. PTH may be oxidized in patients with renal disease. The aim of this study was to develop an assay considering oxidation of PTH. Oxidized hPTH was analyzed by high resolution nano-liquid chromatography coupled to ESI-FTT tandem mass spectrometry (nanoLC-ESI-FT-MS/MS) directly and after proteolytic cleavage. The oxidized hPTH(1-84) sample shows TIC-peaks at 18-20 min and several mass peaks due to mass shifts caused by oxidations. No significant signal for oxidized hPTH(1-84) species after removal of oxidized PTH molecules by a specific column with monoclonal antibodies (MAB) raised against the oxidized hPTH was detectable. By using this column in samples from 18 patients on dialysis we could demonstrate that measured PTH concentrations were substantially lower when considering oxidized forms of PTH. The relationship between PTH concentrations determined directly and those concentrations measured after removal of the oxidized PTH forms varies substantially. In some patients only 7% of traditionally measured PTH was free of oxidation, whereas in other patients 34% of the traditionally measured PTH was real intact PTH. In conclusion, a huge but not constant proportion of PTH molecules are oxidized in patients requiring dialysis. Since oxidized PTH is biologically inactive, the currently used methods to detect PTH in daily clinical practice may not adequately reflect PTH-related bone and cardiovascular abnormalities in patients on dialysis.     

βKlotho Is Required for Fibroblast Growth Factor 21 Effects on Growth and Metabolism

Fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) is a fasting-induced hepatokine that has potent pharmacologic effects in mice, which include improving insulin sensitivity and blunting growth. The single-transmembrane protein βKlotho functions as a coreceptor for FGF21 in?vitro. To determine if βKlotho is required for FGF21 action in?vivo, we generated whole-body and adipose tissue-selective βKlotho-knockout mice. All of the effects of FGF21 on growth and metabolism were lost in whole-body βKlotho-knockout mice. Selective elimination of βKlotho in adipose tissue blocked the acute insulin-sensitizing effects of FGF21. Taken together, these data demonstrate that βKlotho is essential for FGF21 activity and that βKlotho in adipose tissue contributes to the beneficial metabolic actions of FGF21.     

Anti-Müllerian hormone: Hormone or growth factor?

Anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) is a dimeric glycoprotein member of the TGF-β family. It is synthesized by immature Sertoli cells, and, to a lesser degree, by adult Sertoli and granulosa cells. AMH is responsible for the regression of Müllerian ducts in the male fetus; it also has deleterious effects on the female fetal reproductive tract, destroying Müllerian primordia and germ cells, and masculinizing the fetal ovary on the rare occasions female fetuses become exposed to its effects. All other suggested actions for AMH—retardation of oocyte meiosis, inhibition of EGF receptor autophosphorylation, anti-cancer activity—have been reported with crude hormone preparations, and have not been confirmed using pure AMH. Its relatively limited sphere of action—the fetal genital tract—and the fact that it is secreted into the general circulation and can act at long range, imply that AMH is more like a hormone than a growth factor, but the complex interaction between hormones and growth factors make a formal distinction impossible.     

Anti-Müllerian Hormone Recruits BMPR-IA in Immature Granulosa Cells

Anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) is a member of the TGF-β superfamily secreted by the gonads of both sexes. This hormone is primarily known for its role in the regression of the Müllerian ducts in male fetuses. In females, AMH is expressed in granulosa cells of developing follicles. Like other members of the TGF-β superfamily, AMH transduces its signal through two transmembrane serine/threonine kinase receptors including a well characterized type II receptor, AMHR-II. The complete signalling pathway of AMH involving Smads proteins and the type I receptor is well known in the Müllerian duct and in Sertoli and Leydig cells but not in granulosa cells. In addition, few AMH target genes have been identified in these cells. Finally, while several co-receptors have been reported for members of the TGF-β superfamily, none have been described for AMH. Here, we have shown that none of the Bone Morphogenetic Proteins (BMPs) co-receptors, Repulsive guidance molecules (RGMs), were essential for AMH signalling. We also demonstrated that the main Smad proteins used by AMH in granulosa cells were Smad 1 and Smad 5. Like for the other AMH target cells, the most important type I receptor for AMH in these cells was BMPR-IA. Finally, we have identified a new AMH target gene, Id3, which could be involved in the effects of AMH on the differentiation of granulosa cells and its other target cells.