November 10, 2000 MEDIA CONTACT ONLY: David Bricker PHONE: (410)
223-1728 An examination of two rare, very different and
hereditary bone disorders has revealed clues about the common
genetic switches controlling normal bone development, according
to new research guided by Johns Hopkins Children’s Center
endocrinologist Michael Levine, M.D. In the November issue of
the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research, Levine’s group
describes two girls diagnosed with both Albright’s hereditary
osteodystrophy (AHO) and progressive osseous heteroplasia (POH).
They found that abnormal bone formation was more severe in the
two girls than in patients with AHO alone and that the girls’
symptoms were more typical of POH, implying that the
developmental and biochemical pathways leading to each condition
intersect at some point along the way. Both girls had severely
depressed levels of an important protein called Gs-alpha that
helps cells adjust their internal energy use in accordance with
the body’s needs, suggesting that metabol