Patent ID: 7309572

Claim:
A method of screening an individual for increased risk of abnormal levels of growth hormone activity in the liver, which comprises (I) (A) obtaining a sample of one or more liver cells, (B) assaying messenger RNA of said sample, or complementary DNA reverse transcribed from said messenger RNA, to determine the level of transcriptional activity of the following gene in said cell: 3-β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase gene (C) correlating the level of activity with the risk of an abnormal level of GH activity in the liver, or (II) (A) obtaining a sample from a subject, where said sample is expected to contain protein produced by the liver, (B) assaying the protein in said sample to determine the level of expression of the following protein: 3-β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase and (C) correlating the level of expression with the risk of an abnormal level of GH activity in the liver.