ESPE Abstracts

Background: Insulin treatment in a very low birth weight neonate having persistent hyperglycemia is challenging. The very recently reported novel human genetic cause of neonatal diabetes due to NKX2.2 pancreatic transcription factor mutations is associated with very low birth weight deliveries.Objective and hypotheses: To study the diagnostic process, the molecular genetics, the clinical phenotype, and the significant therapeutic challenges in the manage...

Background: Classical and non-classical congenital lipoid adrenal hyperplasia (CLAH) are extremely rare condition caused by mutations in StAR. The degree of enzyme activity impairment determines the clinical phenotypes.Objective and hypotheses: To identify the genetic cause of primary adrenal insufficiency in a cohort of patients from 13 unrelated families with classical and non-classical CLAH, to correlate genotype to phenotype and to identify ...

Introduction: Patients homozygous for mutation in the PCSK-1 gene present clinically with severe congenital diarrhea and variable hormonal defects due to lack of enzyme/prohormone processing by Prohormone Convertase 1/3 (PC1/3). Although absence of spontaneous puberty has been reported in patients with PCSK-1 mutations, no peptide hormone(s) in the hypothalamus-pituitary-gonadal axis (HPG) have been reported to be dependent on PC1/3 cleavage. Here we studied t...

Background: Severe Ovarian Dysgenesis (OD), a rare heterogeneous XX disorder of Sex Development (XX-DSD) presents clinically with primary amenorrhea, hypergonadotrophic hypogonadism and infertility. The genetic basis of OD remains unknown in about 70% of cases. To identify novel causes of OD, we study patients in which known genes have been excluded.Methods: Whole-exome-sequencing was performed on DNA extracted from peri...

Background: Severe Ovarian Dysgenesis (OD), a rare heterogeneous XX disorder of Sex Development presents clinically with primary amenorrhea, hypergonadotrophic hypogonadism and infertility. The genetic basis of OD remains unknown in 70% of cases. To identify novel causes of OD, we study patients in which known genes have been excluded.Methods: Whole-exome-sequencing was performed in a 14.5y old Ashkenazi Jewish, non-cons...

Background: Androgen Insensitivity syndrome (AIS), the most common cause of XY DSD, is an X-linked recessive allelic disorder caused by Androgen Receptor (AR) gene mutations. The complete form (CAIS) stems from abrogation of AR activity and is characterized by an external female phenotype and scarce pubic hair, as well as lack of Mullerian structures. Postnatal gonadotropin and testosterone levels are not increased, and the classical ‘Mini-puberty’...

Background: Though the genes and signalling pathways involved in sexual development have only been partially elucidated, it is known that their disruption can result in disorders of sexual development (DSD). XX ovarian dysgenesis (XX-OD) is a rare, genetically heterogeneous disorder characterized by underdeveloped and dysfunctional ovaries. We previously identified a novel missense mutation in Nucleoporin107 (Nup107, c.1339G>A, p.D447N), an essential compo...

Background: NKX2-2 gene mutation (reported in 3 cases worldwide) cause severe IUGR and neonatal diabetes. Beta-cells of the mice Nkx2-2 (−/−) model were recently shown to convert into cells producing the appetite-promoting peptide ghrelin. Classically, ghrelin secretion is stimulated during fast and suppressed by nutrients or glucose ingestion in all age groups. In obese children this ghrelin suppression reaches a minimum of 60% of base...

Background: SGA is defined as birth weight under 2 standard deviations (SD) from the mean. Previous studies indicate that 10% of SGA babies do not have “catch-up growth” (CUG). They are eligible for growth hormone (GH) therapy to increase final height. The unexpected low demand for GH therapy in SGA babies, triggered us to survey the actual incidence of SGA and failure in CUG.Objective and hypotheses: To find the actual incidence of SGA and fai...

Background: 5-alpha-reductase-2 (5α-RD2) deficiency is an autosomal recessive 46,XY disorder of sexual development, characterized by undervirilized prepubertal males with ambiguous genitalia. The pubertal rise in testosterone and 5α-RD1 isoenzyme activity causes virilization, often resulting in gender assignment change. Early precise diagnosis which anticipate adult function is critical for treatment and gender assignment.Objective and hypothes...