title: Distribution and abundance of messenger ribonucleic acid for growth hormone receptor isoforms in human tissues.
abstract: Two alternatively spliced exon 9 variants of human GH receptor (GHR) messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA), GHR-(1-279) and GHR(1-277), were recently identified in liver. They encode receptor proteins lacking most of the intracellular domain and inhibit GH action in a dominant negative manner. Little is known about tissue distribution and abundance of these GHR isoforms. We have developed quantitative RT-PCR assays specific for the full-length and truncated GHRs and investigated their expression in various human tissues and cell lines. The mRNA of full-length GHR and GHR-(1-279) were readily detectable in all tissues investigated, with liver, fat, muscle, and kidney showing high levels of expression. These two receptor isoforms were also detected in a range of human cell lines, with strongest expression in IM9, a lymphoblastoid cell line. In contrast, GHR-(1277) message was expressed at low levels in liver, fat, muscle, kidney, and prostate and in trace amount in IM9 cells. Full-length GHR was the most abundant isoform, accounting for over 90% of total receptor transcripts in liver, fat, and muscle for quantitative RT-PCR. However, liver had 2- to 4-fold more full-length receptor mRNA and 16- to 40-fold more GHR-(1-277) mRNA than fat and muscle, whereas the mRNA levels of GHR-(1-279) were similar in the three tissues. GHR-(1-279) constituted less than 4% in liver and 7-10% in fat and muscle. GHR-(1-277) accounted for 0.5% of total GHR transcripts in liver and less than 0.1% in the other two tissues. These data suggest that the absolute and relative abundance of mRNA of the three GHR isoforms may be tissue specific. The regulation of expression of exon 9 alternatively spliced GHR variants may provide a potential mechanism for modulation of GH sensitivity at the tissue level.
authors.affiliation: Pituitary Research Unit, Garvan Institute of Medical Research, St Vincent's Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ballesteros
authors.forename: K C
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Leung
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Ross
authors.forename: T P
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Iismaa
authors.forename: K K
authors.initials: KK
authors.lastname: Ho
mesh_terms: D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000378:metabolism; D002460:Cell Line; D017931:DNA Primers; D006801:Humans; D007668:Kidney / Q000378:metabolism; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000378:metabolism; D009928:Organ Specificity; D020033:Protein Isoforms / Q000235:genetics; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis*; D011986:Receptors, Somatotropin / Q000235:genetics*; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D020033:Protein Isoforms; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D011986:Receptors, Somatotropin