The Ser434Phe Androgen Receptor Gene Mutation Does Not Affect Fertility but is Associated with Increased Prolactin

Abstract

Introduction: Prolactin is a hormone secreted by the anterior pituitary gland essential for lactation. Non-physiological hyperprolactinemia characterized by serum prolactin levels exceeding 20 ng/mL in men and 25 ng/mL in women, often results from medication use or pituitary gland tumors. In a minority of cases, the cause of hyperprolactinemia remains unknown despite clinical investigations. Familial idiopathic hyperprolactinemia may stem from mutations in genes encoding prolactin (PRL) and its receptor (PRLR).

Methods: This study investigated genetic polymorphisms in PRL and PRLR genes using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and Sanger sequencing in three sisters affected by familial idiopathic hyperprolactinemia. No mutations were found in these genes, prompting whole exome sequencing (WES) of the proband to identify other potentially involved genes.

Results: WES revealed a heterozygous missense substitution c.1301C>T (p.Ser434Phe) in the androgen receptor (AR) gene. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) for the AR gene confirmed that the proband and her two affected sisters, along with three asymptomatic sisters, were all heterozygous carriers of the mutation. Their father was hemizygous, while their mother had a normal genotype.

Conclusion: The heterozygous missense mutation in the AR gene found in this family with familial idiopathic hyperprolactinemia is not yet explained. Hence, further research is warranted to elucidate the functional implications of this mutation on AR and its role in the pathogenesis of hyperprolactinemia.

Keywords: androgen receptor gene; familial idiopathic hyperprolactinemia; mutation.