title: Absence of human placental lactogen and placental growth hormone (HGH-V) during pregnancy: PCR analysis of the deletion.
abstract: Human placental lactogen (HPL) is produced in large amounts in normal pregnancies. We report a pregnancy with complete lack of HPL and the placental variant of the human growth hormone HGH-V. The pregnancy resulted in a severely growth-retarded but otherwise normal male baby. PCR analysis of DNA extracted from the placenta showed that the HPL encoding genes hPL-4 and hPL-3 were deleted along with the human growth hormone variant gene (hGH-V), which is located between these two active hPL genes and also expressed in the normal placenta. Of the five members of this multigene family, hGH-N, which is expressed in the pituitary gland, and hPL-1, a presumed pseudogene, were left intact. The latter (hPL-1) was expressed as RNA transcripts only at very low levels as is usually reported in normal pregnancies. Analysis of the parents' DNA showed that both of them carried a different heterozygous deletion at the 3' end of the hGH/hPL locus.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Frederiksberg Hospital, Denmark.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Rygaard
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Revol
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Esquivel-Escobedo
authors.forename: B L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Beck
authors.forename: H A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Barrera-Saldaña
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D017353:Gene Deletion; D005838:Genotype; D013006:Growth Hormone / Q000172:deficiency* / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D010290:Parents; D010920:Placenta / Q000737:chemistry; D010926:Placental Hormones / Q000172:deficiency* / Q000235:genetics*; D010928:Placental Lactogen / Q000172:deficiency* / Q000235:genetics*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011247:Pregnancy; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: C064980:GH2 protein, human; D010926:Placental Hormones; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D013006:Growth Hormone; D010928:Placental Lactogen