ESPE Abstracts

Background: Recent work revealed two pathways in androgen biosynthesis, namely the classic and an alternative, the backdoor pathway. In this alternative pathway dihydrotestosterone is produced from 17-hydroxyprogesterone without the intermediacy of testosterone using mostly enzymes that are specific to the backdoor path. In the human ovary, regulation of androgen production plays a crucial role in normal physiology and in pathologies such as the polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS...

Recently, knowledge about the molecular genetic of male infertility has increased. However, in many cases, the etiology of infertility remains unknown. The Cancer/testis antigen: Fetal and Adult Testis Expressed (FATE-1), mainly expressed in human testis has been described two decades ago for his potential role in male infertility. FATE-1 is located on the X chromosome, contains a putative SF1 binding site and is co-expressed with SRY in human fetal testis. To date, only few d...

Background: A variable prevalence of scoliosis has been reported in Prader–Willi syndrome (PWS). Clinical detection can be challenging. The role of GH therapy (GHT) in the onset and progression of scoliosis remains controversial as does the modality of screening.Objective and hypotheses: To define the prevalence of scoliosis in our PWS patients and analyse the role of age, gender, genotype, BMI, and GHT on its onset and severity.<p class="abstex...

Background: Cytochrome P450 oxidoreductase (POR) deficiency (PORD) is a form of congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) and results in steroid-production loss from cytochrome P450 proteins. Mutations in POR cause mild to severe forms of CAH with/without bone malformation symptoms resembling Antley-Bixler syndrome. We report a novel POR Arg550Trp mutation identified in a 46,XX patient with signs of aromatase (ARO) deficiency. Child (first pregnancy) and mother pr...

Background: Steroidogenic Factor 1 (SF-1), encoded by NR5A1 (Nuclear receptor subfamily 5 group A member 1) gene, is a transcriptional factor that is primordial for adrenal and gonadal organogenesis. Pathogenic variants of NR5A1 are responsible for a wide spectrum of phenotypes with autosomal dominant inheritance, from adrenal insufficiency to gonadal dysgenesis and oligospermia-azoospermia in 46,XY patients.Obj...

Introduction: Cortisol homeostasis dysregulation has been associated to essential hypertension in adults. Higher levels of cortisol have been described in preterm-born individuals, who have also a higher risk of hypertension at younger ages. Several enzymes modulate peripheric cortisol metabolism. The 11b-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (11b-HSD) type 2 metabolizes cortisol into cortisone, preventing mineralocorticoid receptors’ activation by cortisol. The i...

Background: Isolated GH deficiency type II (IGHD II), the autosomal-dominant form of GH deficiency, is mainly caused by specific splicing mutations in the human GH (hGH) gene (GH-1). These mutations, occurring in and around exon 3, cause complete exon 3 skipping and produce a dominant-negative 17.5-kDa GH isoform that reduces the accumulation and secretion of wt-GH.Objective and hypotheses: As the severity of IGHD II inversely correlate...

Background: Vitamin D Dependent Rickets Type IA(VDDR1a) is an autosomal recessive disorder characterized by defects in the biosynthesis of its active form 1,25 dihydroxyvitamin D due to the mutations in the CYP27B1 gene encoding for the enzyme 1α-hydroxylase.Objective and hypotheses: To evaluatethe clinical characteristics, molecular genetics aetiology and long-term outcome of a large nationwide cohort of VDDR-Ia f...

The calcium-sensing receptor (CaSR) is a member of the G protein coupled receptor family. It is mostly found in the parathyroid gland and renal tubule. CaSR disorders occur with inherited or acquired mutations. Familial hypocalciuric hypercalcemia syndromes are associated with inactivating mutations in CaSR. The heterozygous form is “benign familial hypercalcemia” and the homozygous form is “neonatal hyperparathyroidism”. In this article, “benign ...

Background: Despite advances in genetic diagnosis and surgical technique, and guidance from the Consensus Statement on Intersex Disorders, aspects of clinical management in disorders/differences of sex development (DSD) remain unsettled. Actively debated decision points include gender of rearing in specific syndromes, genital surgery prior to the patient developing the capacity to provide assent, and uncertainty over how and when to best educate young patients about diagnostic...