McCune
Albright syndrome is an unusual type of disease with varied symptoms. In this
disease, a mutation occurs sometime after conception, affecting only some of
the body's cells. The number and type of symptoms depend on which cells—and
thus which organs—are affected.
Scientists have
found that the mutation affects the gene that codes for he same G-protein involved
in cholera. This G-protein gets stuck in the "on" position. In skin cells, this
causes darker than normal pigment. If the mutation affects bone cells, it causes
weakness and fractures. In hormone-producing cells, the mutation causes the
release of excess hormones.