ESPE Abstracts

Background: Congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) arises from mutations in CYP21A2 gene, which encodes for the steroidogenic enzyme 21-hydroxylase. Currently employed chorionic villus sampling and amniocentesis provide genetic results at ~14 weeks of gestation at the earliest. At this time, the genitalia of the affected female foetuses have already become virilized. To prevent genital ambiguity, prenatal treatment with dexamethasone must begin on or before gestational ...

Background: Disproportional short stature (DSS) is the most frequent clinical presentation of skeletal dysplasias, which are a heterogeneous group of more than 450 disorders of bone. Skeletal survey is important to establish the diagnosis and to guide the genetic test, but has several limitations, especially in mild and atypical cases.Objective and hypotheses: To identify the genetic aetiology of DSS by exome sequencing.Method: Who...

Introduction: Classic congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) due to 21-hydroxylase deficiency (21OHD) is a rare, autosomal disorder characterized by deficiency of cortisol and oftentimes aldosterone, elevated adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), and excess androgen production. In a phase 2 study of adolescents with classic 21OHD, 14 days of treatment with the corticotropin-releasing factor type 1 receptor (CRF1) antagonist, crinecerfont, led to median percent red...

Introduction: The 46,XX testicular disorder of sex development (DSD) is a rare genetic condition and clinical phenotype shows complete sex reversal from female to male. The sex-determining region Y (SRY) gene can be identified in most 46,XX testicular DSD patients, but approximately 20% of patients are SRY-negative. We report a 1.3 -year old SRY/negative 46,XX boy with complete sex reversal caused by SOX3 duplication.Case report:...

Introduction: Hypopituitarism is the partial or complete insufficiency of a single or multiple pituitary hormones. The clinical manifestation of hypopituitarism varies depending on the number and severity of hormone deficiencies. Familial cases are rare, compared to the sporadic ones. Its estimated incidence is between 1:4000-1:10000 live births.Case report: We report the clinical case of familial hypopituitarism in a fa...

In the typical developing gonad, cells with XY chromosomes become masculinised into Sertoli cells, leading to the development of the bipotential gonad into testes. Disruptions to sex determining genes and transcription factors, or XX chromosome complement, typically leads to failure of Sertoli cell development. In the study of sex determination, upregulation of specific genes in animal models has sucessfully led to male factor expression in XX cells in some animals but not in ...

Sex differentiation and development are complex processes reflecting the precise spatiotemporal expression of specific genes and interactions among gene products. In some instances, peripheral blood karyotype diverges from anticipated findings based on phenotypic features. Ascertaining for chromosomal mosaicism aids the shared decision-making discussions with families and other health care providers. We have investigated for sex chromosome mosaicism in 13 patients by using flu...

Background: The fluid milieu along the female reproductive tract has a major role in a complex series of events that follow oocyte ovulation. These include oocyte transport in the fallopian tube, the transport and capacitation of sperm, fertilization, transport of the blastocyst and implantation of the embryo in the uterus. These processes are regulated by the activity of ion channels located on the surface of endometrial epithelia. In our previous studies we showed that epith...

Background: Individuals born with a 45,X/46,XY karyotype can present with diverging phenotypes from normal male, Turner-like to ambiguous genitalia, the latter classically being called mixed gonadal dysgenesis. No correlation between phenotype and degree of mosaicisms in the karyotype could be ascertained so far, making clinical management of these patients difficult.Objective: To understand, if androgen action through the androgen receptor (AR) is compr...

Background: Some IGFALS variants have been reported in more than one ALS-deficient family raising the question whether they originated from a single common ancestor allele (founder effect) or alternatively, as independent mutational events (hot spot). Since c.103dupG (p.E35Gfs*17) is located in a stretch of five consecutive guanine residues, where both G-duplication and deletion have been described in several families, we speculate that this region could be a hot spot...