ESPE Abstracts

Background: Transcription activator-like effects nucleases (TALENs) have recently been developed as an efficient method for in vivo genome engineering. Zebrafish are becoming an increasingly popular model to study translational aspects in endocrinology. The redox cofactor ferredoxin (FDX1) is essential for mitochondrial cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes including those required for steroidogenesis. In vitro, FDX1 modifications influence the catalytic rate of ster...

Congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) due to 21-hydroxylase deficiency (21OHD) is caused by mutations in the CYP21A2 gene. Steroid 21-hydroxylase deficiency results in impaired synthesis of mineralcorticoids and glucocorticoids (GC), plus androgen excess. Hormonal imbalances in 21OHD are postulated to result in systemic transcriptomic and metabolomic alterations. Such perturbations are likely to be underlying co-morbidities, which are increasingly observed in individua...

Background: Biochemical ratios of precursor-to-product urinary steroid metabolites have been proposed as surrogate markers of steroidogenic enzyme activity to aid the differential diagnosis of inborn disorders of steroidogenesis. Using ratios rather than total amounts facilitates analysis of single spot urine samples, more convenient than 24-h urine collections for young children. Previous studies examining the utility of these biochemical ratios have been lim...