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...

Introduction: The Gli-family of zinc-finger transcription factors regulates the Sonic Hedgehog (Shh) signalling pathway, critical for normal CNS development. Gli2 is essential for early pituitary and ventral forebrain development in mice, with mutations described in humans with holoprosencephaly (HPE), isolated hypopituitarism (HP) and cranial/midline facial defects. SHH mutations have been associated with phenotypes including HPE but not HP, despite murine studi...

Background: LHX4 encodes a member of the LIM-homeodomain transcription factor protein family that is required for development of the pituitary gland. To date, only incompletely penetrant heterozygous mutations in LHX4 have been described in patients with variable combined pituitary hormone deficiencies (CPHD).Objective/hypothesis: To investigate a cohort of patients with congenital hypopituitarism for mutations in LHX4.<p c...

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...