Why some kids are shorter: a gene clue
Evidence for involvement of the vitamin D receptor gene in idiopathic short stature via a genome-wide linkage study and subsequent association studies.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Scientists looked at families where kids are much shorter than average and found a gene called VDR on chromosome 12 might be why. A tiny change in this gene (called rs10735810) was passed more often to the shorter kids.
Surprising Findings
The G-allele of rs10735810 — known to be transcriptionally more active — was preferentially transmitted to shorter children, contrary to the assumption that more active vitamin D signaling would promote growth.
You’d expect a more active vitamin D receptor to help growth — but here, the 'stronger' version is linked to being shorter, flipping the script on vitamin D’s role.
Practical Takeaways
Parents of children with unexplained short stature might consider genetic testing for rs10735810 if available in clinical panels.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Scientists looked at families where kids are much shorter than average and found a gene called VDR on chromosome 12 might be why. A tiny change in this gene (called rs10735810) was passed more often to the shorter kids.
Surprising Findings
The G-allele of rs10735810 — known to be transcriptionally more active — was preferentially transmitted to shorter children, contrary to the assumption that more active vitamin D signaling would promote growth.
You’d expect a more active vitamin D receptor to help growth — but here, the 'stronger' version is linked to being shorter, flipping the script on vitamin D’s role.
Practical Takeaways
Parents of children with unexplained short stature might consider genetic testing for rs10735810 if available in clinical panels.
Publication
Journal
Human molecular genetics
Year
2006
Authors
A. Dempfle, S. Wudy, K. Saar, S. Hagemann, S. Friedel, A. Scherag, L. Berthold, G. Alzen, L. Gortner, W. Blum, A. Hinney, P. Nürnberg, H. Schäfer, J. Hebebrand
Related Content
Claims (5)
People who naturally have more vitamin D in their blood tend to be taller as adults, and this link comes from our genes—not because vitamin D makes you grow taller, but because the same genes that affect vitamin D also affect how tall you get.
Scientists have found that a specific part of our DNA, located on chromosome 12, is linked to how tall adults grow, and now they think this same DNA area might also play a role in why some children are much shorter than expected for no clear reason.
Some kids who are much shorter than average might have a specific gene change that makes it more likely they’ll be short — and this gene change is passed down more often to those kids.
Scientists found a specific spot on chromosome 12 that seems to be linked to why some kids are much shorter than average, and this spot is right next to a gene that helps the body use vitamin D.
A specific gene variation called rs10735810 might be behind as much as one in three cases of unexplained short height in kids, based on studies of families where this trait runs in the bloodline.