The pygmy (pg) mutant of the mouse--a model of the human pygmy.

ABSTRACT The pygmy (pg) mutant of the mouse is an autosomal recessive trait resulting in proportionate dwarfism. The growth rate of pg/pg mice was found to be unresponsive to treatment with porcine growth hormone, whereas this same hormonal preparation resulted in marked growth acceleration in hypopituitary mice. These observations suggest that the pygmy mutant of the mouse is associated with a peripheral subresponsiveness to growth hormone, and thus may represent a model of the human African pygmy.