ESPE Abstracts

Background: Primary ovarian insufficiency (POI) affects 1% of women and is associated with significant medical consequences. In approximately 10% of cases, POI presents early with absent puberty or primary amenorrhoea. A genetic cause for POI can be found in up to 30% of women. Identified genes often relate to the complex biological processes occurring in fetal life which underpin normal ovary development and function in later adulthood.Objective: We aim...

Introduction: The human adrenal gland originates from the adrenogonadal primordium at around 4 weeks post conception (wpc) and undergoes marked developmental changes throughout the first half of pregnancy. Several key aspects of adrenal maturation are well-established, such as the formation of a large inner fetal zone (FZ) and synthesis of dehydroepiandrosterone, but many other processes contributing to adrenal gland development and function in humans are stil...

Introduction: Ovary development was once considered a largely passive process. RNA sequencing (RNAseq) approaches have allowed us to begin to characterise ovary development in previously unparalleled detail, revealing the process to be complex and, still, little understood. A challenge is synthesising and using these data to advance our understanding of clinical disease. Through a clinically-focused lens, we elucidate novel aspects of the transcriptional lands...

Background: Mutations in the 21-hydroxylase gene (CYP21A2) accounts for 90–95% of all congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) cases. There is a strong relationship between genotype and disease severity.Objective: The aim of the study was to investigate the most frequent known mutations in CYP21A2 and to describe the genotype-phenotype correlation in Turkish children with CAH due to 21-hydroxylase deficiency.Methods: Based on clin...

Introduction: Our Centre is an international referral centre for genetic analysis of children with short stature (SS) and features of GH/IGF-1 resistance. Following candidate gene and whole exome sequencing, diagnoses for ~50% patients remained elusive. Copy number variation (CNV) has not previously been investigated in GH/IGF-1 resistance and we hypothesised that CNVs contribute to the phenotype in our undiagnosed cohort.Experimental Design and Methodol...

Background: Turner syndrome is the most common sex chromosome disorder in females and occurs in about 1/2500 newborn girls worldwide. On chromosomal analysis, the various karyotypes observed are: 45,X (50%); 45,X/46,XX (20%); 46,X, i(Xq) (15%); 46,X, r(X) or 46,X, del(X) (10%); and others (5%).Objective and hypotheses: We present the case of a 17-year-old girl referred to our service for primary amenorrhea. Clinical examination: height=163 cm (62nd perce...

Background: Turner syndrome (TS) is one of the most common genetic disorders associated with abnormalities of chromosome X that occurs in different populations with a frequency of 25–210 per 100 000 female live births.Objective and hypotheses:: The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of TS in ukrainian children, as well as frequency variations of karyotype and age of primary diagnosis of TS.Method: We analysed ...

Background: Several genetic defects (GHR, SHOX, GHSR, NPR2, IGFALS) have been reported in children classified as ISS. ISS children are GH sufficient and about one third of them show low IGF-I levels, suggesting some degree of GH insensitivity.Objective: To explore potential genetic defects in ISS children suspicious of GH insensitivity, selected by low IGF-I levels and low response to IGF generation test.<...

Background: Human IGF1 gene defects are characterized by intrauterine and postnatal growth retardation, sensorineural deafness, microcephaly and intellectual disability. Seven cases have been reported so far, and the underlying pathophysiology has been characterized in only three.Objective: To describe a patient with severe short stature presenting a novel homozygous IGF1 gene mutation and its underlying pathogenic mechanism.<p clas...

Background: Primary ovarian insufficiency (POI) is genetically mediated in up to 30% of cases. Many genes associated with POI have roles in early ovary developmental processes, including meiosis.Objectives: We investigated the genetic mechanism underlying early-onset POI in three young women presenting with absent puberty: two sisters from a consanguineous pedigree and a third unrelated proband.<st...