ESPE Abstracts

Deficiency of pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A2 (PAPP-A2), a regulator of IGF-1 availability, causes postnatal growth failure in humans and mice, at least in part through dysregulation of bone size and density. The present study aimed to determine the effects of Pappa2 gene deletion and the response to recombinant murine IGF-1 (rmIGF-1) on femur microstructure and composition. Hydroxyapatite-related crystallography and ionic substitutions were analyzed by X-ray p...

Background: TransCon hGH is a sustained-release prodrug in development as a long-acting GH for children with growth hormone deficiency (GHD). TransCon hGH consists of a parent drug, growth hormone (hGH; somatropin), that is transiently bound to a carrier via a TransCon linker. The carrier extends hGH circulation time in the body and fully active hGH is released over one week at physiologic pH and temperature. Unlike other molecules in development, TransCon hGH...

Daily injections are required for human growth hormone (GH) replacement therapy. Somapacitan is a long-acting GH derivative being developed for once-weekly dosing in adults and children using a proven protraction method, currently successfully in use to extend the half-life of insulin and glucagon-like peptide 1.To evaluate the efficacy and safety of three different once-weekly somapacitan doses compared with Norditropin®, a daily GH, ove...

Context: Children with Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) generally have mild to moderate cognitive impairment with an IQ between 60 and 70. Growth hormone (GH) treatment is a registered treatment for children with PWS and has been associated with cognitive benefits, attributed to the effects of GH and insulin-like growth factor on brain growth and development. Short-term data suggest positive effects of GH treatment on cognitive functioning in children with PWS. The...

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: Studying patients with rare Mendelian diabetes has highlighted molecular mechanisms regulating β-cell pathophysiology. Previous, experimental studies have shown that Class IIa histone deacetylases (HDAC4, 5, 7, and 9) modulate mammalian pancreatic endocrine cell differentiation, function and finally glucose homeostasis.Methods: We performed exome sequencing in one adolescent boy with non-autoimmune di...

Cytochrome P450 side-chain cleavage enzyme, encoded by the CYP11A1 gene, catalyzes the first and rate-limiting step of steroid hormone biosynthesis. Previous morpholino knockdown studies described the divergent functions of the two cyp11a paralogs in zebrafish. Cyp11a1 has been suggested to be required for early development, whereas cyp11a2 is a functional equivalent of human CYP11A1 and is essential for the initiation and maintenan...

Background: Self-limited delayed puberty (DP) is an extreme variant of normal pubertal timing and it often clusters in families. Although it is highly heritable and is the most common cause of delayed puberty, little is known about the genetic control. GnRH neuronal biology has been implicated as a key element in the pathogenesis of DP. By focusing on genes involved in GnRH neuron development, migration and function we may understand more about the genetic bas...

The gut microbiome has recently emerged as a major contributor to obesity and metabolic disease. Specifically, Bifidobacterium animalis sups. lactis (BAL) has shown promise for obesity treatment in human subjects, improving body composition and metabolic health. Moreover, tryptophan metabolism, a crucial regulator of satiety mechanisms and anxiety, is a main target of BAL. Given that clinical manifestations of Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) include hyperphagia, ...

Background: The GH/IGF-I axis is involved in metabolic control and studies suggest that IGF-I deficiency and subsequent changes in IGF-I signaling in brown adipose tissue (BAT) modifies its thermogenic capacity. Food restriction reduces thermogenic capacity in BAT, while leptin stimulates thermogenesis through uncoupling protein 1 (UCP-1) induction. Leptin and IGF-I maintain important crosstalk in different tissues, but whether these two hormones interact to r...