News

Tall Story: Melbourne Scientists Uncover the Gene for Height

Media Release, Monday 10 September 2001

In the world's first general population study looking at the genetic basis of height, scientists at the University of Melbourne have uncovered two of the genes responsible for making men either short or tall.

In the old days, when Tom Cruise sat down to dinner across the table from Nicole Kidman, they would see eye to eye. The minute they stood up, however, our Nic towered over her husband.

Men and women generally have the same sized bodies. Where they differ in height is in the length of their legs.

Most commonly, men have longer legs than women (sorry Tom) and two scientists within the Department of Physiology at the University of Melbourne investigated the genetic basis for this difference.

Dr Justine Ellis and Professor Stephen Harrap focussed on genes they thought might explain differences in height in men and women. These were specific genes on the male Y chromosome, and the gene coding for aromatase, an enzyme that converts testosterone into oestrogen.

Aromatase has long been linked to height because people lacking the enzyme simply continue to grow until they are given doses of oestrogen to halt their growth.

The scientists recruited almost 3000 volunteers from the Victorian Family Heart Study between 1991 and 1996. By testing and comparing the genetic markers on the Y chromosome and the gene coding for the aromatase enzyme, the researchers uncovered evidence that these genes significantly influence how tall a man will grow.

Studies showed that these genes can contribute up to 4.2 cms in height (or lack of height).

The study is published this week in the prestigious international Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.

The scientists are now investigating, in a much larger sample population, whether tall men differ in their bone density as some research indicates that tall men are more prone to the bone-thinning disease, osteoporosis.

The research is published in the latest issue of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.