Patent ID: 8263340

Claim:
A method for detecting whether a subject expresses a constitutively active mutant of the prolactin receptor (PRLR) comprising detecting a mutation in the PRLR gene in a nucleic acid sample previously obtained from said subject selected from: a mutation resulting in the expression of a constitutively active mutant prolactin receptor, wherein the Ile residue at position 146 is substituted by another amino acid residue selected from the group consisting of Leu, Met, Thr, Asn, Ser, Phe and Val; or a mutation resulting in the expression of a constitutively active mutant prolactin receptor wherein the Ile residue at position 76 is substituted by another amino acid residue selected from the group consisting of Leu, Met, Thr, Asn, Ser, Phe and Val wherein the presence of the mutation indicates the presence of the constitutively active mutant.