ESPE Abstracts

Background: SGPL1 deficiency is associated with a pathological accumulation of sphingolipid intermediates and a multi-systemic condition incorporating primary adrenal insufficiency. Sphingolipid intermediates such as ceramide, sphingosine and sphingosine 1-phosphate are postulated to act as modulators of the steroidogenic pathway, often acting as second messengers altering downstream expression of steroid responsive transcriptional elements. Ceramide and sphin...

Background: Growth hormone insensitivity (GHI) encompasses normal/elevated growth hormone (GH), low IGF-I levels and growth restriction. Non-classical/mild-moderate GHI is an emerging entity which is poorly characterised, and, in many subjects, the underlying cause is unclear. Heterozygous dominant negative (DN) variants located in the intracellular/transmembrane domain of the GH receptor (GHR) cause a ‘non-classical’ GHI phenotype.<p class="abst...

Background: Silver Russell syndrome (SRS) is genetically heterogenous and around 30% of patients with clinical SRS have no genetic diagnosis. Mutations in HMGA2 have recently been identified causing growth failure and an SRS-like phenotype. Despite strong evidence of the crucial role of HMGA2 in growth across species, the mechanism of action of HMGA2 in human linear growth is unclear.Objective:...

Objectives: The homozygous GHR pseudoexon (6ψ) mutation leads to aberrant splicing of the GHR gene with clinical and biochemical heterogeneity. We investigated whether the phenotypic variability could be explained by transcript heterogeneity i.e. ratio of abnormal (6ψ GHR) to normal (WT GHR) transcripts and/or the presence of concurrent defects in other short stature (SS) genes.Methods: 6&#968...

Background: Noonan Syndrome (NS) can overlap clinically and biochemically with growth hormone insensitivity [GHI; short stature (SS), low IGF-I and normal/elevated GH levels]. Mutations in multiple genes regulating RAS/MAPK pathway have been identified in NS including LZTR1 variants. Function of LZTR1 is poorly understood and its role in growth retardation is unknown.Objectives: To functionally characte...

Context: Severe forms of growth hormone insensitivity (GHI) are characterised by extreme short stature, dysmorphism and metabolic anomalies. They are classically caused by homozygous or compound heterozygous mutations of the growth hormone receptor gene (GHR). Genetic analysis traditionally focuses on the exonic regions of genes that encode proteins rather than the intervening non-coding sequences. These seldom explored non-coding regions may harbour ...

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: Disruption of the melanocortin-4 receptor pathway by genetic variants in POMC/PCSK1 or LEPR can result in hyperphagia and severe early-onset obesity. In the primary analyses of 2 pivotal Phase 3 trials, the melanocortin-4 receptor agonist setmelanotide was associated with significant reductions in body weight and hunger in patients with obesity due to proopiomelanocortin (POMC) or leptin receptor (LEPR) deficiency. These ...

Objectives: X-linked hypophosphataemia (XLH) is a rare, hereditary phosphate-wasting disorder characterised by excessive activity of fibroblast growth factor 23. The International XLH Registry (NCT03193476) (initiated in August 2017, target 1,200 children and adults with XLH, running for 10 years) will provide information on the natural history of XLH and impact of treatment on patient outcomes. This report summarises baseline data from the first interim analy...

Introduction: The prevalence of paediatric Type 2 diabetes (T2DM) is increasing, contributed by rising incidence of obesity worldwide. Paediatric T2DM is a progressive disease with increased risk of complications and morbidities. Despite recent research, many aspects such as its pathophysiology and optimal management remain unknown.Aim: To characterise the cohort of T2DM patients across 2 large tertiary paediatric diabet...