ESPE Abstracts

The generation of functional, long-lived adrenocortical cells through reprogramming from pluripotent stem cells or via lineage conversion strategies, could offer an alternative treatment modality for adrenal insufficiency (AI) due to a variety of causes, such as mutation in steroidogenic enzymes as seen in congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH). The recent generation of human induced steroidogenic cells (hiSCs) from fibroblasts, blood- and urine-derived cells established from he...

Background: Both undernutrition and chronic inflammation impair linear growth through resistance to GH. Fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) is known as an important regulator of the metabolic adaptation to fasting. Elevated expression of FGF21, secondary to prolonged undernutrition has been identified to develop GH resistance and subsequent attenuation of skeletal growth and growth plate chondrogenesis in both mice and human. However, the mechanism of FGF21&#1...

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...

Background: The initiation of puberty is orchestrated by the augmentation in the secretion of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) from a few thousand neurons located in the hypothalamus. Recent findings identified that the neuroendocrine control of puberty is regulated by a network of transcriptional factors hierarchically organized, but this still remains not fully elucidated. Enhanced At Puberty 1 (EAP1) is one of the main regulators of pubertal onset and it is ex...

Background: Aberrations in the timing of puberty may result in significant adverse health outcomes, including cancers, cardiovascular and neurological pathologies. Self-limited delayed puberty (DP) (i.e. constitutional delay of puberty) runs in families with either autosomal dominant or complex inheritance patterns in >70% of families, indicating a strong genetic basis of the trait. However, only a few genes have been identified underlying DP so far....

Background: The initiation of puberty is dependent upon an augmentation of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) secretion from the hypothalamus. Development of the GnRH neuroendocrine network in embryonic life depends on coordinated migration of neurons from the vomeronasal organ in the nose to the forebrain. We have previously demonstrated that dysregulation in GnRH neuronal migration leads to delayed pubertal onset. Late puberty affects up to 2% of the ...

Background: Primary adrenal insufficiency (PAI) is most commonly congenital in children. PAI is genetically heterogeneous with some gene defects causing syndromic disease. A third of patients have no genetic diagnosis meaning their prognosis is uncertain. We recently investigated families with a novel combination of PAI and steroid resistant nephrotic syndrome.Objective and hypotheses: To discover the genetic defect underlying this syndrome.<p class=...

Background: Timing of puberty is associated with height, cardiovascular health and cancer risk, with a significant public health impact. Previous studies estimate that 60–80% of variation in the timing of pubertal onset is genetically determined. Self-limited delayed puberty (DP) often segregates in an autosomal dominant pattern, but the underlying genetic background is unknown.Methods: We performed whole exome sequencing in 52 members of 7 families...

Rapidly accumulating evidence supports the role of synthetic chemicals as obesogens and cardiometabolic risks. This presentation provides an overview of the latest evidence, safe and simple steps for prevention, and business case for policy intervention....

Objectives: Several different pathogenic mechanisms may converge on a final common pathway to produce the phenotype of delayed pubertal timing. In our cohort of patients with familial self-limited delayed puberty (DP) we have demonstrated mutations in IGSF10 leading to mis-regulation of the embryonic migration of GnRH neurons (Howard et al, EMBO MM 2016). We aimed to discover novel genetic mutations in pathways regulating GnRH neuronal migration and developme...