ESPE Abstracts

Background: SOX2 is an early developmental transcription factor implicated in pituitary development; heterozygous SOX2 mutations have been reported in patients with a severe ocular phenotype and hypogonadotrophic hypogonadism (HH) with/without associated abnormalities. SOX2 physically interacts with β-catenin, a member of the Wnt-signalling pathway, via its carboxyl-terminus and it represses in vitroβ-catenin mediated activation.<p class="abstex...

Introduction: The proopiomelanocortin is a polypeptide of many biologically active peptides involved in many key functions which have not yet been clarified. The mutation in the gene encoding this polypeptide is associated with a clinical trials characterized by early-onset obesity, terciary adrenal insufficiency, and alteration of pigmentation. Eight cases with known genetic mutation have been published.Case report: Newborn male 27 days old from North A...

Introduction: The extracellular calcium-sensing receptor (CaSR) enables the parathyroid glands and other CaSR-expressing cells involved in calcium homeostasis to sense alterations in calcium serum concentrations. Mutations in the CASR gene may produce gain or loss in its activity. Activating mutations cause a hypocalcaemic syndrome of varying severity, as autosomal-dominant hypocalcaemia or Bartter’s syndrome.Case report: We describe a 6 months infa...

Background: During the 1st months of postnatal life serum luteinizing hormone (LH) levels in girls are lower than in boys. The mechanism of this sex difference is not known. It has been proposed that foetal or perinatal androgenic steroids have an effect on the control of LH secretion.Objective and hypotheses: To study the possible influence of high levels of androgens on serum gonadotropins during the 1st months of life in a cohort of nine 46,XX testicu...

Background: Humanin is a novel signaling peptide which has been showed, by in vitro and in vivo studies, to improve insulin sensitivity. As plasma humanin levels decrease during adulthood, particularly during aging, it has been proposed that the increment of insulin resistance in aging might be associated with lesser humanin plasma values.Objective and hypotheses: The physiological insulin resistance observed during puberty in normal ch...

Background: Congenital growth hormone deficiency may be isolated (IGHD) or multiple pituitary hormone deficiency (MPHD). The Sonic Hedgehog signalling (SHH) pathway has an important role in the pituitary development and growth, acting early in ventral forebrain. The SHH signalling mediates its effects through three zinc fingers proteins (Gli1, Gli2 and Gli3), which lead to activation or repression of target genes. Several heterozygous GLI2 mutations have been reported in patie...

Objective: To enhance the understanding of the clinical phenotypes of patients with SOX2 gene mutations.Method: A retrospectively analysis of the clinical manifestations and the laboratory results of a child diagnosed as idiopathic hypogonadotropic hypogonadism(IHH) by whole exome-gene sequencing and a review of relevant literatures.Results: A 12-year-old boy clinically manifested short stature, mental retardation, a histo...

Background: Testicular adrenal rest tumours (TART) are common cause of infertility in males with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH).Objective and hypotheses: Aim was to assess TART frequency and their impact on gonadal function in 46 children, adolescents and adult male patients with 21-hydroxylase deficiency (21-OHD) (24 salt wasting (SW), 14 simple vilirilizing, eight nonclassical) and four with 11-hydroxylase deficiency (11-OHD).<p class="abstex...

Introduction: Genetic alterations within the cAMP/PKA pathway, including the genes GNAS, PDE11A, PDE8, PRKAR1A/B, and PRKACA, result in a spectrum of adrenocortical disorders. To date, somatic PRKACA variants and germline PRKACA copy number gain have been associated with the development of cortisol-secreting adrenocortical adenomas and bilateral adrenal hyperplasia, respectively. While variants within the PRKAR1A ge...

Deficiency of pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A2 (PAPP-A2), a protease that regulates IGF-1 availability, causes postnatal growth failure and changes in bone size and density in humans and mice. The present study aimed to determine the effects of daily administration (from PND5 to PND35) of recombinant murine (rm) PAPP-A2, in comparison to rmGH and rmIGF1, on mouse auxology and bone microarchitecture in homozygous Pappa2 knock-out (ko/ko) mice of both sexes. Hormone treatm...