Prevalence of Mutations in the FGFR3 Gene in Individuals with Idiopathic Short Stature

FGFR3 (fibroblast growth factor receptor 3) is a gene responsible for the most common form of osteodysplasia, achondroplasia, which results in extreme short stature. An allelic disorder, hypochondroplasia, however, presents with a much milder phenotype and is sometimes indistinguishable from idiopathic short stature. In this study, in order to test the possibility of the mildest end of hypochondroplasia being labeled as idiopathic short stature and the possibility of polymorphism of FGFR3 acting as one of the stature genes of normal individuals, we examined the prevalence of sequence alterations of the FGFR3 gene among individuals diagnosed clinically with idiopathic short stature. Sequencing analysis of all exons of the FGFR3 gene on 54 individuals with idiopathic short stature did not reveal any sequence variations related to the stature of the individuals. These results suggest that hidden hypochondroplasia among idiopathic short stature individuals is not a common occurrence and the contribution of polymorphism of the FGFR3 gene as a determinant of stature in normal individuals is small if any.