Polymorphism of the growth hormone gene GH1 in Polish children and adolescents with short stature

PURPOSE: Short stature in children is a significant medical problem which, without proper diagnosis and treatment, can lead to long-term consequences for physical and psychological health in adult life. Since human height is a polygenic and highly heritable trait, numerous variants in the genes involved in growth—including the growth hormone (GH1) gene—have been identified as causes of short stature. METHODS: In this study, we performed for the first time molecular analysis of the GH1 gene in a cohort (n = 186) of Polish children and adolescents with short stature, suffering from growth hormone deficiency (GHD) or idiopathic short stature (ISS), and a control cohort (n = 178). RESULTS: Thirteen SNP variants were identified, including four missense variants, six in 5′UTR, and three in introns. The frequency of minor missense variants was low (<0.02) and similar in the compared cohorts. However, two of these variants, Ala39Val (rs151263636) and Arg42Leu (rs371953554), were found (heterozygote status) in only two GHD patients. These substitutions, according to databases, can potentially be deleterious. CONCLUSIONS: Mutations of GH1 causing short stature are very rare in the Polish population, but two potentially causative variants need further studies in a larger cohort of GHD patients.