ANDROGEN RECEPTOR CAG REPEAT POLYMORPHISM AND SERUM ANDROGEN IN ADOLESCENT GIRLS

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This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. Adolescent hyperandrogenemia appears to be a precursor to adult polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). As with PCOS, the etiology of adolescent hyperandrogenemia is not known. The androgen receptor contains a CAG repeat length polymorphism which confers variable androgen receptor transactivation activity. Some studies have suggested a link between short androgen receptor CAG repeat lengths and increased testosterone levels in females; this has not however yet been explored in the general adolescent population. We hypothesize that hyperandrogenemic adolescent girls have shorter androgen receptor repeat lengths than normal controls, and that as a consequence of higher androgen levels and increased androgen sensitivity, girls with short androgen receptor CAG repeat lengths will have a more pronounced hyperandrogenic phenotype.