Genes for growth hormone, chorionic somatommammotropin, and growth hormones-like gene on chromosome 17 in humans.

The human genes for growth hormone (GH), chorionic somatomammotropin (CSH), and a third growth hormone-like gene (GHL) have been located on chromosome 17 in humans. DNA fragments of 2.6, 2.8, and 9.5 kilobase pairs containing GH, CSH, and GHL, respectively, were identified in human genomic DNA, and a 7.5-kilobase DNA fragment related to growth hormone DNA sequences was found in mouse cells. In somatic hybrids of human and mouse cells containing reduced numbers of human chromosomes, but a normal complement of mouse chromosomes, the mouse, 7.5-kolobase DNA fragment was always present, whereas the 2.6-, 2.8-, and 9.5-kilobase human fragments were present only when human chromosome 17 was also present.