Galphas transcripts are biallelically expressed in the human kidney cortex: implications for pseudohypoparathyroidism type 1b.

Pseudohypoparathyroid type 1b patients are characterized by renal resistance to PTH in the absence of Albright's hereditary osteodystrophy or other endocrine abnormalities. Kindred studies have suggested that the cause of this resistance is a specific decrease in G alphas activity in renal proximal tubules due to paternal imprinting of G alphas. To test this, allelic expression of G alphas was analyzed in human fetal kidney cortex samples by RT-PCR assays. The results showed that, in contrast to the parent-specific expression of exon 1A and XL alphas (paternal) or NESP (maternal) mRNAs, G alphas transcripts are biallelically expressed in human kidney cortex. These data implicate abnormal imprinting of alternative regions within the GNAS1 locus as a more likely cause of pseudohypoparathyroid type 1b.