Dwarfism

Two weU-known pathological conditions are the result of an excess or a deficiency of this hormone. The condition in which the body produces an excess of hGH is known as acromegaly or giantism. The condition in which too Httle is produced is dwarfism. 

Human growth hormone, used as a human pharmaceutical, is approved for only one indication in the United States, treatment of growth failure owing to hGH deficiency, a condition known as pituitary dwarfism. However, clinical trials are under way to test its efficacy in Turner s syndrome, bums, wound healing, cachexia, osteoporosis, constitutional growth delay, aging, malnutrition, and obesity. 

Pituitary Dwarfism. Pituitary dwarfism is a condition characterized by an inabiHty to produce or secrete normal levels of endogenous hGH. The condition results in reduced heights of individuals afflicted with the condition and has been treated by intramuscular or subcutaneous injection of hGH. Pituitary hGH was used prior to the approval of biosynthetic hGH. If treatment is initiated early enough, the patient can attain a final adult height weU within the normal range. 

Dwarfism Often due to a deficiency of growth hormone, but has many other causes. 

The best-known of the chondrodysplasias is achondroplasia, the commonest cause of short-limbed dwarfism. Affected individuals have short limbs, nor-... 

Human somatotropin 191 amino acids E. coll Pituitary dwarfism Approved for sale If useful in treatment of osteoporosis then market size will be much larger Has additional methionine residue at N-terminus, but technology for removing this now available... 

FRAY R, WALLACE A, FRASER P D, VALERO D, HEDDEN P, BRAMLEY P M and GRIERSON D (1995) Constitutive expression of a fruit phytoene synthase gene in transgenic tomatoes causes dwarfism by redirecting metabolites from the gibberellin pathway . Plant J, 8, 696-701. 

Such effects render IGFs likely therapeutic candidates in treating the various forms of dwarfism caused by a dysfunction in some element of the GH-IGF growth axis. Initial trials show that s.c. administration of recombinant human IGF-I over a 12-month period significantly increases the growth rate of Laron-type dwarfs. 

GH has a potentially wide range of therapeutic uses (Table 11.6). To date, however, its major application has been for the treatment of short stature. hGH extracted from human pituitary glands was first used to treat pituitary dwarfism (i.e. caused by suboptimal pituitary GH secretion) in 1958. It has subsequently proven effective in the treatment of short stature caused by a variety of other conditions, including ... 

When the expression of CYP79B2 was driven by the 35S promoter, a 4-fold increase in indole glucosinolates was observed for approximately 20% of the transgenic lines, whose appearance also resembled that of wild-type plants.13 The majority (approximately 80%) of the 35S CYP79B2 lines exhibited dwarfism, did not develop inflorescences, and, therefore, did not produce seeds. A possible explanation for this phenotype could be that the LAOX produced by CYP79B2 was partly channeled into production of the plant hormone IAA, which would disturb the growth and development of the plants. 

Certain forms of dwarfism, type II diabetes, kidney disease, growth hormone insensitivity, cachexia, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, peripheral neuropathy Wound healing, skin ulcers Diabetic ulcers, wound healing... 

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