Puberty early can be caused by genetic mutations

When a child enters puberty sooner than expected, doctors often cannot explain why. However, researchers have discovered a gene mutation that causes some early puberty cases.

According to research reports published in the New England Journal of Medicine , scientists in Brazil examined the genomes of 32 people with early puberty in 15 different families. Some cases of early puberty are inherited in families.

In the Brazilian study, the average age of puberty started in children with mutated MKRN3 gene was 6 years for women and 8 years for men.(Photo: Corbis)

The team discovered mutations of a gene called MKRN3 in 15 people from five of the families mentioned above. In all these cases, mutated MKRN3 gene was passed down by the father.

The average age of puberty initiation for those with mutations of MKRN3 is 6 years for women and 8 years for men.

In the editorial accompanying the research report, Dr. Leuan Hughes from Cambridge University (UK) commented that although researchers still do not know exactly how MKRN3 plays a role in puberty. but it may involve releasing "brakes" , often preventing the onset of this process.

Puberty occurs when the brain starts producing higher levels of hormones that release sex hormones. According to the researchers, mutations in the MKRN3 gene may stimulate an increase in this hormone level at a younger age than normal.

To learn more about the role of MKRN3 in pubertal processes, the team looked at the brains of mice. They found that the highest amount of MKRN3 gene was when the mice were small and declined when these organisms entered puberty. This finding provides additional evidence for binding MKRN3 gene to general puberty in animals.