Expression of exon 3-retaining and exon 3-excluding isoforms of the human growth hormone-receptor is regulated in an interindividual, rather than a tissue-specific, manner.

• GH has multiple effects on growth and metabolism, and these functions are mediated through binding to specific cell surface receptors. The human GH receptor (GHR) exists in two known isoforms; in one form exon 3 is present (GHR3+), and in the other, exon 3 is absent (GHR3-). Recent reports have suggested that the expression of the two isoforms is tissue specific and/or developmentally regulated. We used a reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction assay to study the expression pattern of the two isoforms in a variety of tissues from normal subjects and patients with acromegaly. In skeletal muscle from both normal subjects and patients with acromegaly, the GHR3+ transcript was expressed, either alone or together with the shorter (GHR3-) transcript. When multiple tissues from six subjects were tested, the expression of the two isoforms varied among subjects, whereas different tissues from the same subject showed the same expression pattern. These results indicate that the expression of the GHR isoforms is not tissue specific. Instead, the expression of the GHR isoforms appears to be specific for each individual, suggesting that it is under the control of factors that affect all tissues in the body.

Nyckelord

Adipose Tissue

metabolism

Adolescent

Adult

Aged

Aged

80 and over

Base Sequence

Bone and Bones

metabolism

Cartilage

metabolism

Child

Child

Preschool

DNA Primers

Exons

Female

Gene Expression Regulation

Humans

Infant

Liver

metabolism

Male

Middle Aged

Molecular Sequence Data

Muscle

Skeletal

metabolism

Organ Specificity

Polymerase Chain Reaction

Receptors

Somatotropin

biosynthesis

genetics

Skin

metabolism

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