Severe SHOX gene haploinsufficiency in a girl with a novel mutation (M1T) involving the first codon of coding region

Metabolic syndrome coexists with adult Léri-Weill dyschondrosteosis: A case report

Léri-Weill dyschondrosteosis (LWD) is usually caused by haploinsufficiency of the short stature homeobox-containing gene (SHOX). The clinical manifestation of this disease is a classic triad, which are short stature, mesomelia and Madelung deformity. LWD also includes other features, such as high body mass index. Short stature and high body mass index are risk factors of type 2 diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease; however, LWD combined with type 2 diabetes mellitus or metabolic syndrome have not been described in the literature. In this article, we report a case of LWD caused by an M1T mutation of the start codon of the SHOX gene. The patient also had type 2 diabetes mellitus, hypertension and dyslipidemia. It is suggested that patients with LWD should be identified promptly, and the prevention and treatment of metabolic diseases and cardiovascular disease should be taken into consideration in patients with LWD.

The role of the SHOX gene in the pathophysiology of Turner syndrome

Turner syndrome (TS) affects 1:2500 live females. It is caused by partial or complete absence of a sex chromosome. Patients with deletions of the distal segment of the short arm of X chromosome (Xp-) including haploinsufficiency of the SHOX (short stature homeobox) have, more often, short stature, skeletal abnormalities and hearing impairments. This article evaluates the current knowledge of the SHOX gene role in TS pathophysiology. Articles were searched from MEDLINE and LILACS databases, in the past 10 years, using the following keywords: Turner syndrome, SHOX gene, haploinsufficiency, short stature and hearing loss. As the inheritance of only one copy of the SHOX gene does not explain most of TS anomalies, more studies are needed to explain them. These studies will also improve understanding how SHOX participates in cartilage and bone growth and will help develop novel therapeutic strategies focused on SHOX-related disorders.