ESPE Abstracts

Gonadal sex determination represents a unique model for studying cell fate decisions. However, a complete understanding of the different cell lineages forming the developing testis and ovary remains elusive. The widespread adoption of advanced sequencing technologies, such as scRNA-seq, has provided the field of developmental biology with an opportunity to discover previously unrecognized cell types, such as short-lived progenitors or rare cell lineages. By combining single ce...

Background: Disorders/Differences of Sex Development (DSD) is diagnosed in approximately one out of 4'500 newborns. Children born with DSD present with a very diverse phenotype and they and their families face considerable challenges, potentially including surgical intervention and gender assignment, as well as associated complications such as infertility and predisposition to gonadal tumors. Due to the lack of knowledge concerning the complete gene and pr...

Introduction: Mammalian sex development is directly dependent on gonadal determination. Whole exome sequencing in patients with differences of sex development (DSD) allows the discovery of new factors involved in human sex development. One of these factors is NWD1 (NACHT and WD repeat domain containing 1) a cytosolic protein that seems to play a role in modulating androgen receptor signaling. We identified variants in the NWD1 gene in six und...

Abstract: Steroidogenic factor 1 (SF1)/"nuclear receptor subfamily 5 group A member 1" (NR5A1) is involved in adrenal and gonadal development, steroidogenesis and reproduction. The first patient, published in 1999 presented with a 46,XY difference of sex development (DSD) and adrenal insufficiency. The following year the first female patient with only adrenal insufficiency was described. Since then, heterozygous changes in SF-1/NR5A1 causing 46,XY DSD ...

Background: An activation cascade of specific genes sets up the initiation of sex determination leading in males to testes formation and synthesis of testicular hormones. Disruption of this gene cascade may cause a spectrum of 46,XY disorders/differences of sex development (DSD) phenotypes. Here we describe for the first time two sisters suffering from 46,XY DSD, who by whole exome sequencing revealed to carry a X-linked mutation in the StAR-related lipid transfer domain prote...

Background: The origins of 46,XX ovotesticular DSD remains unclear in the majority of the cases. New genetic tools can help identifying genes and loci involved in gonadal development and differentiation.Objective and hypotheses: We report the results of the genetic investigations performed in a 15 years old African adolescent with SRY-negative 46,XX ovotesticular DSD.Method: Clinical evaluation, imaging studies, surgical exploratio...

Background: An activation cascade of specific genes sets up the initiation of sex determination leading in males to testes formation and synthesis of testicular hormones. Disruption of this gene cascade may cause a spectrum of disorders/differences of sex development (DSD) phenotypes. Here we describe for the first time two sisters suffering from 46,XY DSD, who by whole exome sequencing were shown to carry a mutation in the X-linked StAR-related lipid transfer...

Background/Introduction: Whole exome sequencing (WES) revolutionized clinical genetics in patients with differences of sex development (DSD). However, our ability to interpret WES data is limited by our incomplete understanding of the mechanisms involved in DSD. Thus, we created a methodology that scores potential candidates based on single cells transcriptomics of human male gonadal cells and applied it to WES data from a cohort of genetically male (46,XY) DS...

XY individuals with Disorders/Differences of Sex development (DSD) are characterized by reduced androgenization caused, in some children, by gonadal dysgenesis or, more rarely, testis regression during early fetal development. The genetic etiology for most patients with 46,XY gonadal dysgenesis and for all patients with testicular regression syndrome (TRS) is unknown. Identification of novel genes involved in DSD is crucial for providing an accurate clinical diagnosis, aiding ...