title: Contributions of CAG repeat length in the androgen receptor gene and androgen profiles to premature pubarche in Korean girls.
abstract: The CAG repeat length of the androgen receptor (AR) gene, which exhibits an inverse relationship to AR sensitivity, might influence the development of the pubarche along with hyperandrogenemia. There are ethnic differences in the AR CAG repeat length, however, no Asian studies on premature pubarche (PP) have been reported, including Korea. Our objectives were to examine the hormone levels and AR CAG repeat length, and to assess their contributions to PP in Korean girls. Subjects with PP (n=16) and normal pubarche (NP, n=16), and normal controls (NC, n=16) were enrolled. The levels of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate (DHEAS), 17-hydroxyprogesterone (17-OHP), and free testosterone (FT) were checked. The methylation-weighted (MW) average CAG repeat lengths were analyzed. The median ages at pubarche were 7.4 and 8.9 years in the PP and NP groups, respectively, and the levels of 17-OHP, DHEAS, and FT were similar in both groups. The PP group exhibited a higher DHEAS:DHEA ratio than the NP group (P=0.014). The medians of the MW average CAG repeat length of the AR gene were 22.4 for all subjects and did not differ among the PP (22.3), NP (22.4), and NC (22.2) groups. The AR CAG repeat lengths in the PP and NP groups did not correlate with DHEAS or FT levels. These results suggest that the AR CAG repeat length was not involved in the development of PP in Korean girls. However, excessive adrenal androgen levels, particularly those caused by increased sulfotransferase activity, might be important in the pathogenesis of PP.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Hallym Sacred Heart Hospital, Anyang 14068, Korea.
authors.forename: Min Jae
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.forename: Jeong Seon
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Hwa Young
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Hae Woon
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Jung
authors.forename: Young Ah
authors.initials: YA
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Sun Hee
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Ji-Young
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Seo
authors.forename: Jae Hyun
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Hye Rim
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.forename: Se Young
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Choong Ho
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Shin
authors.forename: Sei Won
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D000728:Androgens / Q000097:blood*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017588:Hyperandrogenism / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics; D007333:Insulin Resistance; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D011629:Puberty, Precocious / Q000097:blood* / Q000235:genetics*; D011944:Receptors, Androgen / Q000235:genetics*; D056910:Republic of Korea; D018911:Trinucleotide Repeats / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: C410798:AR protein, human; D000728:Androgens; D011944:Receptors, Androgen