Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Release of GH by the somatotroph cells of the anterior pituitary is stimulated by GHRH. GHRH acts via its transmembrane receptor, GHRHR, a G-protein coupled receptor that stimulates protein kinase A. Recessive mutations in GHRHR are associated with severe isolated GH deficiency (IGHD) with a final height in untreated patients between 130±10 cm (−7.2±1.6 SDS) and 114±0.7 cm (−8.3±0.1 SDS) in males and females respectively.</p...

Background: SOX2 is a member of the SOX (SRY-related HMG box) family of transcription factors, and shares homology with SOX1 and SOX3 which are members of the SOXB1 subfamily. Heterozygous, de novo, loss-of-function mutations in SOX2 were initially reported in patients with bilateral anophthalmia/microphthalmia, developmental delay and male genital tract abnormalities, with variable manifestations including defects of the corpus callosum, oes...

Background: Holoprosencephaly (HPE) is a brain malformation that results from a defect in the patterning of the forebrain. Children with the most severe forms of HPE have endocrine deficits, in addition to neurologic and visual impairment. Forebrain abnormalities and pituitary hormone deficiencies are also part of the clinical spectrum of septo-optic dysplasia (SOD).Aim: Describe the spectrum of endocrinopathies in children with HPE and compare their cha...

Background and aim: The development of the pituitary gland is closely linked to this of the eyes and forebrain, as they all originate from the same embryonic origin, the anterior neural ridge. The constellation of symptoms leading to septo-optic dysplasia (SOD) is well established; other ophthalmic signs may be under-reported. The aim of the study was to define if patients with hypopituitarism present with eye abnormalities, which are distinct from SOD, and if this association...

Background: SOX2 is a member of the SOX family of transcription factors (SRY-related high-mobility group (HMG) box). Heterozygous, de novo, loss-of-function mutations were initially reported in patients with bilateral anophthalmia/microphthalmia, developmental delay, male genital tract abnormalities, oesophageal atresia and sensorineural hearing loss. We have recently reported a number of SOX2 mutations in patients with anterior pituitary hypoplasia and hy...

Background: SOX2 is a member of the SOX family of transcription factors (SRY-related high-mobility group (HMG) box). Heterozygous, de novo, loss-of-function mutations were initially reported in patients with bilateral anophthalmia/microphthalmia, developmental delay, male genital tract abnormalities, oesophageal atresia and sensorineural hearing loss. We have recently reported a number of SOX2 mutations in patients with anterior pituitary hypoplasia and hy...

Background: SOX2 is an early developmental transcription factor implicated in pituitary development. It consists of a N-terminal domain, a high mobility group (HMG)-DNA binding domain and a carboxyl-terminal domain. Heterozygous SOX2 mutations have been described in patients with a severe ocular phenotype and hypogonadotrophic hypogonadism (HH) with/without associated abnormalities. In vitro SOX2 interacts with β-catenin, a member of the Wnt signalling pathway, and...

Background and aims: Congenital hypopituitarism (CH) encompasses a spectrum of phenotypes. Known genetic factors account for variable percentage of cases depending on the cohort screened. We analysed the results of genetic screening in a large cohort of patients with CH with the following aims: i) to clarify the genetic aetiology of CH ii) identify any phenotype genotype correlations and iii) propose a screening strategy.Patients and methods: Over 15 yea...