ESPE Abstracts

NMDA (N-Methyl-D-aspartic acid) receptors have been shown to control the timing of sexual maturation in laboratory animals. Therefore, variants in genes impacting NMDA receptor signaling might be predicted to affect human puberty. We studied an extended family with extremely delayed puberty (menarche at 16.5 - 18 years for female family members and pubertal onset at 16 years for male family members). Exome sequencing revealed a rare missense variant (F900V) in DLG2, w...

Background: Graft versus host disease (GVHD) is a complex disease resulting from donor T-cell recognition of a genetic disparate recipient, which is unable to reject donor cells after allogeneic transplant. Glucocorticoids (steroids) are the mainstay of acute GVHD therapy. Glucocorticoid resistance has been characterized in several inflammatory conditions including asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus, erythematosus, ulcerative colitis, and Crohn’s disease. Glucoc...

Congenital hyperinsulinism (CHI) is a complex heterogeneous disease affecting 1 in 40.000 newborns. Recurrent hypoketotic hypoglycaemia led to permanent mental and motor disabilities in 30-40% of children. Histologically three types had been differentiated: focal, diffuse and atypical. Up to now, only focal-type CHI can be permanently cured by focus removal. Focal-type CHI is characterized by paternal inherited mutation of ABCC8 or KCNJ11 mutations. Therefore mutation anal...

Background: Treatment of a subset of Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia (CAH) patients consists of glucocorticoids, such hydrocortisone and prednisone. Doses are titrated to achieve adequate levels of biochemical markers, namely 17-hydroxyprogesterone and androstenedione. When these biomarkers are abnormal, medication adherence is often considered. However, alterations in glucocorticoid sensitivity is rarely considered. We have created a fluorescein labeled dexame...

Background: Glucocorticoids play an important role in the developing fetus; the most important of which is lung maturation by increasing surfactant production and release. Glucocorticoid receptor (GR) functioning changes throughout the fetal period, especially during the transition to extrauterine life. Given the importance of glucocorticoids in lung development and functioning, studying glucocorticoid sensitivity (GS) in this population would be helpful, especially in the pre...

Background: Congenital hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (CHH) is caused by impaired function of GnRH neurons, which clinically manifests by incomplete or absent puberty and infertility. The phenotype may be broader with other developmental anomalies such as anosmia, which is known as Kallmann syndrome. To date, there are more than 40 genes in which mutations underlie CHH. Cornelia de Lange Syndrome (CdLS) is characterized by facial dysmorphia, psychomotor delay, ...

Case reports: Patient 1 was diagnosed with Williams Syndrome (WS) when she was 11 years-old. She presented typical facial features, mental retardation (IQ 34) and chronic constipation. Pregnancy and neonatal period were unremarkable. Her growth has always been satisfying. No cardiac defects were detected at echocardiogram. Cerebral MRI showed enlarged pituitary (height of 9 mm) in the contest of which a mass with suprasellar extension was detected. Thyroid and adrenal...

Background: The hepatokine FGF21 signals through a dual receptor complex consisting of FGFR1c and the obligatory co-receptor β-Klotho to regulate glucose and lipid metabolism. Interestingly, female mice with Fgf21 transgenic overexpression are not only resistant to high-fat diet induced obesity but also present with hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (HH) and infertility. Loss-of-function (LOF) mutations in FGFR1 are a frequent cause of congenital HH (CHH). W...

Background: DICER1, a ribonuclease, cleaves non-coding small RNA precursors to generate mature microRNAs (miRNAs), of ~21 nucleotides in length. MiRNAs alter gene expression post-transcriptionally by directly binding to mRNA transcripts and subsequently down-regulating gene expression. It is estimated that expression of ~30–70% of all mammalian protein-coding genes are regulated in this manner.Method: Sequencing of DICER1 in various tumors, accompan...

The human adrenal cortex produces a wide range of steroids that includes aldosterone, cortisol and a variety of 19 carbon (C19) steroids; the most studied being DHEA. In humans, adrenarche is the endocrine developmental process manifested by an increased adrenal output of DHEA. This phenomenon corresponds with the expansion of the zona reticularis of the adrenal gland. However, the physiological mechanisms that trigger adrenarche remain elusive. Our research focuses...