Growth hormone deficiency in pseudohypoparathyroidism type 1a: another manifestation of multihormone resistance

Albright hereditary osteodystrophy (AHO) is a genetic disorder caused by heterozygous inactivating mutations in GNAS1, the gene encoding the alpha-chain of G(s), and is associated with short stature, obesity, brachydactyly, and sc ossifications. AHO patients with GNAS1 mutations on maternally inherited alleles also manifest resistance to multiple hormones (e.g. PTH, TSH, LH, FSH), a variant termed pseudohypoparathyroidism (PHP) type 1a, due to paternal imprinting of G alpha(s) transcripts in specific tissues. Recent evidence has shown that G alpha(s) transcripts are also imprinted in the pituitary somatotrophs that secrete GH. Because this imprinting could influence GHRH-dependent stimulation of somatotrophs, we hypothesized that maternally inherited GNAS1 mutations would impair GH secretion. We studied GH status in 13 subjects with PHP type 1a. GH responses to arginine/L-dopa and arginine/GHRH were deficient in nine subjects, all of whom were obese and had low serum concentrations of IGF-I. By contrast, none of the four GH-sufficient subjects were obese, and all had normal IGF-I levels. Our data indicate that GH deficiency is common (69%) in PHP type 1a and may contribute to the obesity and short stature typical of AHO. We propose that GH status be evaluated in all patients with PHP type 1a.