ESPE Abstracts

Background: Genomic imprinting causes genes to be expressed or repressed depending on their parental origin. The 1-Mb DLK1-DIO3 imprinted domain is located on human chromosome 14. Gene expression along this cluster is regulated by an intergenic differentially methylated imprinting control region (‘IG-DMR’). In mice, altered gene dosage within this cluster is associated with alterations in embryonic and placental growth.Objective and hy...

Background: Maternal obesity can have long-term consequences for the offspring’s health, including increased risk of type-2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The C19MC imprinted locus on chromosome 19q13.4 comprises a cluster of 46 microRNAs, which are usually expressed only in the placenta and from the paternal allele exclusively. Besides its role favouring trophoblast migration, the C19MC locus is deregulated in several human cancers. It is unknown ...

Background: The placenta plays a key role in regulating fatty acid (FA) transport from maternal to fetal circulation. An unfavourable FA profile in the placenta, reflecting an inadequate nutritional status during pregnancy, may cause changes in placental DNA methylation and negatively affect fetal growth and metabolic health of the offspring.Objectives: We aimed to study the association of an unfavourable placental FA profile with placental DNA methylati...

Background: Telomere length at birth is a major determinant of telomere length at later ages, up into senescence. However, the prenatal setting of telomere length is poorly understood. Individuals born large are at lower risk for later-life disorders, such as diabetes, than those born small, a feature of their longer health span being a higher lean mass that provides more muscle strength and is already present in infancy.Objective and hypotheses: To asse...

Background: Genetic defects in NKX2.1 (chromosome 14q13) are associated with hypothyroidism, choreo-athetotic movements and respiratory distress, known as the “Brain-Lung-Thyroid syndrome”.Objective and hypotheses: To identify the genetic basis of a disorder compatible with the “NKX2.1 syndrome” and extra features outside the typical triad.Patients and methods: 10-year old girl with congenital ...

Introduction: Imprinted genes are critical for placental function and normal fetal growth and development. Very little is known about the impact of maternal obesity on imprinted genes and their role in postnatal growth and metabolism.Objectives: 1) To identify umbilical cord DNA methylation sites (CpG) associated with gestational weight gain (GWG); 2) to identify which of these CpGs lie within imprinting control regions ...

Background: Thyroid hormone resistance (THR) is a rare genetic disorder that may be caused by thyroid hormone (TH) cell transporter defects or metabolism defects, but most cases are caused by an inherited mutation in the TH receptor beta (THRB) gene. The reduced responsiveness of target tissues to TH is characterized by elevated TH and a normal or elevated thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) level. Differentiating between THR and TSH-producing pituitary...

Background: Cornelia de Lange (CdLS) syndrome (OMIM #122470) is a complex disease, characterized by distinctive facial features, failure to thrive, microcephaly, intrauterine growth retardation and anomalies in multiple organ systems. The complexity and severity of the endocrine commitment is variable. NIPBL, SMC1A, SMC3, RAD21 and HDAC8 genes, all involved in the cohesin pathway, have been identified to cause CdLS. There are few published studies on the endoc...

Background and Objectives: In adults, discordant associations exist between insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) and blood pressure with scarce reports in apparently healthy children. IGF-I levels increase during puberty in parallel to calcium and phosphorus levels. In this context, our aim is to study the association between IGF-I and blood pressure in apparently healthy children, together with the interaction of the serum calcium-phosphorus product (Ca*P...

Introduction: CORNELIA DE LANGE Syndrome (CdLS) is a rare syndrome, first described in 1933 by the Dutch pediatrician CORNELIA DE LANGE. This syndrome represents a multi-systemic disorder with physical, cognitive and behavioral characteristics. It is evident in the typical or classical form (craniofacial appearance, short stature and limbs deformities). However, not all individuals with CdLS present with the classic phenotype, as the clinical presentation can ...