ESPE Abstracts

Background: Mutations in Steroidogenic factor 1 (SF-1; also known as NR5A1), a transcription factor involved in sexual differentiation, steroidogenesis and reproduction, have been associated with mild to severe XY and XX DSDs and adrenal failure. Asplenia and complete XY sex reversal were recently reported in a Palestinian patient homozygous for p.R103Q NR5A1 mutation.Clinical Cases: Five Pales...

Introduction: PCSK1/3 gene mutations are known as a cause for congenital diarrhea and various endocrinopathies. Hypogonadotrophic hypogonadism and aberrant pubertal development due to pro-convertase dysfunction was not characterized yet. This study aimed to characterize the pubertal development in a family carrying the novel N309K mutation in the PCSK1 gene.Methods and Results: We Identified 2 siblings who presented with severe congenital diarrhea follow...

Background: Central diabetes insipidus (CDI) in the neonatal age is usually a result of intracranial insult, either congenital or acquired. Familial CDI is usually an autosomal dominant disorder, presenting later in childhood (1-6 y) with polyuria and mostly caused by mutations in the Neurophysin II moiety of the AVP-NPII prohormone gene; these interfere with prohormone processing leading to gradual destruction of AVP secreting cells and result in arginine vas...

Background: Processing of Precursor 1 (POP1) is a core protein component of the Ribonuclease-Mitochondrial RNA Processing (RNase-MRP) enzymatic complex, an essential complex in all eukaryotes. Mutations in RMRP, encoding the RNA moiety of the complex cause cartilage-hair hypoplasia – anauxetic dysplasia (CHH-AD) spectrum disorders, characterized by severe disproportionate short stature. Recently, five patients harboring mutations in POP1 have been report...

Background: Insulin treatment in a very low birth weight neonate having persistent hyperglycemia is challenging. The very recently reported novel human genetic cause of neonatal diabetes due to NKX2.2 pancreatic transcription factor mutations is associated with very low birth weight deliveries.Objective and hypotheses: To study the diagnostic process, the molecular genetics, the clinical phenotype, and the significant therapeutic challenges in the manage...

Background: Classical and non-classical congenital lipoid adrenal hyperplasia (CLAH) are extremely rare condition caused by mutations in StAR. The degree of enzyme activity impairment determines the clinical phenotypes.Objective and hypotheses: To identify the genetic cause of primary adrenal insufficiency in a cohort of patients from 13 unrelated families with classical and non-classical CLAH, to correlate genotype to phenotype and to identify ...

Introduction: Patients homozygous for mutation in the PCSK-1 gene present clinically with severe congenital diarrhea and variable hormonal defects due to lack of enzyme/prohormone processing by Prohormone Convertase 1/3 (PC1/3). Although absence of spontaneous puberty has been reported in patients with PCSK-1 mutations, no peptide hormone(s) in the hypothalamus-pituitary-gonadal axis (HPG) have been reported to be dependent on PC1/3 cleavage. Here we studied t...

Background: Though the genes and signalling pathways involved in sexual development have only been partially elucidated, it is known that their disruption can result in disorders of sexual development (DSD). XX ovarian dysgenesis (XX-OD) is a rare, genetically heterogeneous disorder characterized by underdeveloped and dysfunctional ovaries. We previously identified a novel missense mutation in Nucleoporin107 (Nup107, c.1339G>A, p.D447N), an essential compo...

Background: SGA is defined as birth weight under 2 standard deviations (SD) from the mean. Previous studies indicate that 10% of SGA babies do not have “catch-up growth” (CUG). They are eligible for growth hormone (GH) therapy to increase final height. The unexpected low demand for GH therapy in SGA babies, triggered us to survey the actual incidence of SGA and failure in CUG.Objective and hypotheses: To find the actual incidence of SGA and fai...

Background: 5-alpha-reductase-2 (5α-RD2) deficiency is an autosomal recessive 46,XY disorder of sexual development, characterized by undervirilized prepubertal males with ambiguous genitalia. The pubertal rise in testosterone and 5α-RD1 isoenzyme activity causes virilization, often resulting in gender assignment change. Early precise diagnosis which anticipate adult function is critical for treatment and gender assignment.Objective and hypothes...