BACKGROUND Human growth hormone (HGH) and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) have been shown to play a role in the malignant transformation and progression of a variety of cancers. HGH is also known to upregulate molecular signaling pathways implicated in the pathogenesis of melanoma. Although HGH has previously been implicated in promoting the clinical growth of both benign and malignant mel...

The placenta of mammals is a very adaptable organ that accomplishes many critical functions necessary for the well-being of the host and developing fetus. For example, the placenta serves as an attachment site to secure the developing fetus to the uterus, and it transports nutrients from the maternal to the fetal compartment. During the evolution of viviparity, the placenta has assumed various ...

a thermodynamic study on the interaction between zinc ion (zn2+) and human growth hormone(hgh) was studied at two temperatures of 27c and 37c in aqueous solution using an isothermal titrationcalorimetry. it was found that there is a set of three identical and non-interacting binding sites for zn2+ ions. the intrinsic dissociation equilibrium constant and the molar enthalpy of binding are 1.54...

It has been known for more than 4 decades that only primate growth hormones are effective in primate species, but it is only with the availability of the 2.8 A structure of the human growth hormone (hGH).hGH-binding protein (hGHBP)2 complex that Souza and co-workers (Souza, S. C., Frick, G. P., Wang, X., Kopchick, J. J., Lobo, R. B., and Goodman, H. M. (1995) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 92,...

The hGH-V (or hGH-2) gene codes for human placental growth hormone (hPGH). Secretion of hPGH is continuous, in contrast with the pulsed secretion of pituitary growth hormone (hGH) which it progressively replaces in the maternal bloodstream. hGH-V cDNA has previously been cloned and isolated. Analysis of its nucleotide sequence has revealed a 191-residue protein, hPGH, differing from hGH at 13 p...

Stably transfected cell lines containing the normal human growth hormone (hGH-N) and human growth hormone-variant (hGH-V) genes have been established in order to study the expression of these two highly homologous genes. Each gene was inserted into a bovine papillomavirus shuttle vector under the transcriptional control of the mouse metallothionein gene promoter and the resultant recombinants w...

The human growth hormone (hGH-N) and the closely related human growth hormone-variant (hGH-V) genes differ in their patterns of splice-site selection. In 9% of hGH-N transcripts exon 2 is spliced to an alternative acceptor site located 45 bases within exon 3. mRNA spliced in this manner encodes a 20-kDa hGH-N isoform instead of the normal 22-kDa hGH-N. The hGH-V transcript fails to utilize this...

A 10-year-old child with idiopathic growth hormone deficiency was treated with recombinant methionyl human growth hormone (m-hGH, Somatonorm) at a dose of 14 IU/week. Height increased from 122.3 to 126.5 cm during the first 9 months of treatment (5.6 cm/y), but only from 126.5 to 126.6 cm during the next 3 month of treatment (0.4 cm/y). Anti-hGH antibody was detected at 2 months of treatment, r...

Placental human growth hormone-variant (hGH-V) and pituitary human growth hormone-N (hGH-N) are of identical size (22 kDa) but differ in 13 residues scattered throughout the protein. Several isoforms of GH are produced by the hGH-N and hGH-V genes including a 20-kDa hGH-V resulting from a 45-bp deletion caused by the use of an alternative acceptor site within exon 3. To date, the biological pro...