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Hattori A, Fukami M. Nuclear Receptor Gene Variants Underlying Disorders/Differences of Sex Development through Abnormal Testicular Development. Biomolecules 2023; 13:691. [PMID: 37189438 PMCID: PMC10135730 DOI: 10.3390/biom13040691] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2023] [Revised: 04/17/2023] [Accepted: 04/17/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Gonadal development is the first step in human reproduction. Aberrant gonadal development during the fetal period is a major cause of disorders/differences of sex development (DSD). To date, pathogenic variants of three nuclear receptor genes (NR5A1, NR0B1, and NR2F2) have been reported to cause DSD via atypical testicular development. In this review article, we describe the clinical significance of the NR5A1 variants as the cause of DSD and introduce novel findings from recent studies. NR5A1 variants are associated with 46,XY DSD and 46,XX testicular/ovotesticular DSD. Notably, both 46,XX DSD and 46,XY DSD caused by the NR5A1 variants show remarkable phenotypic variability, to which digenic/oligogenic inheritances potentially contribute. Additionally, we discuss the roles of NR0B1 and NR2F2 in the etiology of DSD. NR0B1 acts as an anti-testicular gene. Duplications containing NR0B1 result in 46,XY DSD, whereas deletions encompassing NR0B1 can underlie 46,XX testicular/ovotesticular DSD. NR2F2 has recently been reported as a causative gene for 46,XX testicular/ovotesticular DSD and possibly for 46,XY DSD, although the role of NR2F2 in gonadal development is unclear. The knowledge about these three nuclear receptors provides novel insights into the molecular networks involved in the gonadal development in human fetuses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Atsushi Hattori
- Department of Molecular Endocrinology, National Research Institute for Child Health and Development, 2-10-1 Okura, Setagaya, Tokyo 157-8535, Japan;
- Division of Diversity Research, National Research Institute for Child Health and Development, 2-10-1 Okura, Setagaya, Tokyo 157-8535, Japan
| | - Maki Fukami
- Department of Molecular Endocrinology, National Research Institute for Child Health and Development, 2-10-1 Okura, Setagaya, Tokyo 157-8535, Japan;
- Division of Diversity Research, National Research Institute for Child Health and Development, 2-10-1 Okura, Setagaya, Tokyo 157-8535, Japan
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2
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Mönig I, Schneidewind J, Johannsen TH, Juul A, Werner R, Lünstedt R, Birnbaum W, Marshall L, Wünsch L, Hiort O. Pubertal development in 46,XY patients with NR5A1 mutations. Endocrine 2022; 75:601-613. [PMID: 34613524 PMCID: PMC8816419 DOI: 10.1007/s12020-021-02883-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2021] [Accepted: 09/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE Mutations in the NR5A1 gene, encoding the transcription factor Steroidogenic Factor-1, are associated with a highly variable genital phenotype in patients with 46,XY differences of sex development (DSD). Our objective was to analyse the pubertal development in 46,XY patients with NR5A1 mutations by the evaluation of longitudinal clinical and hormonal data at pubertal age. METHODS We retrospectively studied a cohort of 10 46,XY patients with a verified NR5A1 mutation and describe clinical features including the external and internal genitalia, testicular volumes, Tanner stages and serum concentrations of LH, FSH, testosterone, AMH, and inhibin B during pubertal transition. RESULTS Patients who first presented in early infancy due to ambiguous genitalia showed spontaneous virilization at pubertal age accompanied by a significant testosterone production despite the decreased gonadal volume. Patients with apparently female external genitalia at birth presented later in life at pubertal age either with signs of virilization and/or absence of female puberty. Testosterone levels were highly variable in this group. In all patients, gonadotropins were constantly in the upper reference range or elevated. Neither the extent of virilization at birth nor the presence of Müllerian structures reliably correlated with the degree of virilization during puberty. CONCLUSION Patients with NR5A1 mutations regardless of phenotype at birth may demonstrate considerable virilization at puberty. Therefore, it is important to consider sex assignment carefully and avoid irreversible procedures during infancy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabel Mönig
- Division of Paediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes, Department of Paediatric and Adolescent Medicine, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany.
| | - Julia Schneidewind
- Division of Paediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes, Department of Paediatric and Adolescent Medicine, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
| | - Trine H Johannsen
- Department of Growth and Reproduction and International Center for Research and Research Training in Endocrine Disruption of Male Reproduction and Child Health (EDMaRC), Rigshospitalet, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Anders Juul
- Department of Growth and Reproduction and International Center for Research and Research Training in Endocrine Disruption of Male Reproduction and Child Health (EDMaRC), Rigshospitalet, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Ralf Werner
- Division of Paediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes, Department of Paediatric and Adolescent Medicine, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
- Institute for Molecular Medicine, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
| | - Ralf Lünstedt
- Catholic Children's Hospital Wilhelmstift, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Wiebke Birnbaum
- Division of Paediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes, Department of Paediatric and Adolescent Medicine, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
| | - Louise Marshall
- Division of Paediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes, Department of Paediatric and Adolescent Medicine, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
| | - Lutz Wünsch
- Department of Paediatric Surgery, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
| | - Olaf Hiort
- Division of Paediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes, Department of Paediatric and Adolescent Medicine, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
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Jacobson JD, Willig LK, Gatti J, Strickland J, Egan A, Saunders C, Farrow E, Heckert LL. High Molecular Diagnosis Rate in Undermasculinized Males with Differences in Sex Development Using a Stepwise Approach. Endocrinology 2020; 161:5721303. [PMID: 32010941 DOI: 10.1210/endocr/bqz015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2019] [Accepted: 10/31/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Differences of sex development (DSDs) are a constellation of conditions that result in genital ambiguity or complete sex reversal. Although determining the underlying genetic variants can affect clinical management, fewer than half of undermasculinized males ever receive molecular diagnoses. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology has improved diagnostic capabilities in several other diseases, and a few small studies suggest that it may improve molecular diagnostic capabilities in DSDs. However, the overall diagnostic rate that can be achieved with NGS for larger groups of patients with DSDs remains unknown. In this study, we aimed to implement a tiered approach to genetic testing in undermasculinized males seen in an interdisciplinary DSD clinic to increase the molecular diagnosis rate in this group. We determined the diagnosis rate in patients undergoing all clinically available testing. Patients underwent a stepwise approach to testing beginning with a karyotype and progressing through individual gene testing, microarray, panel testing, and then to whole-exome sequencing (WES) if no molecular cause was found. Deletion/duplication studies were also done if deletions were suspected. Sixty undermasculinized male participants were seen in an interdisciplinary DSD clinic from 2008 to 2016. Overall, 37/60 (62%) of patients with Y chromosomes and 46% of those who were 46XY received molecular diagnoses. Of the 46,XY patients who underwent all available genetic testing, 18/28 (64%) achieved molecular diagnoses. This study suggests that the addition of WES testing can result in a higher rate of molecular diagnoses compared to genetic panel testing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jill D Jacobson
- Division of Endocrinology and Diabetes, Children's Mercy Hospitals and Clinics, University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine, Kansas City, Missouri
| | - Laurel K Willig
- Division of Nephrology, Children's Mercy Hospitals and Clinics, University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine, Kansas City, Missouri
- Center for Pediatric Genomic Medicine Children's Mercy Hospitals and Clinics, University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine, Kansas City, Missouri
| | - John Gatti
- Division of Urology, Department of Surgery, Children's Mercy Hospitals and Clinics, University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine, Kansas City, Missouri
| | - Julie Strickland
- Division of Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology, Department of Surgery, Children's Mercy Hospitals and Clinics, University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine, Kansas City, Missouri
| | - Anna Egan
- Developmental and Behavioral Sciences, Department of Pediatrics, Children's Mercy Hospitals and Clinics, University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine, Kansas City, Missouri
| | - Carol Saunders
- Center for Pediatric Genomic Medicine Children's Mercy Hospitals and Clinics, University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine, Kansas City, Missouri
| | - Emily Farrow
- Center for Pediatric Genomic Medicine Children's Mercy Hospitals and Clinics, University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine, Kansas City, Missouri
| | - Leslie L Heckert
- Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, University of Kansas School of Medicine, Kansas City, Kansas
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Grinspon RP, Rey RA. Molecular Characterization of XX Maleness. Int J Mol Sci 2019; 20:ijms20236089. [PMID: 31816857 PMCID: PMC6928850 DOI: 10.3390/ijms20236089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2019] [Revised: 11/29/2019] [Accepted: 11/29/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Androgens and anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH), secreted by the foetal testis, are responsible for the development of male reproductive organs and the regression of female anlagen. Virilization of the reproductive tract in association with the absence of Müllerian derivatives in the XX foetus implies the existence of testicular tissue, which can occur in the presence or absence of SRY. Recent advancement in the knowledge of the opposing gene cascades driving to the differentiation of the gonadal ridge into testes or ovaries during early foetal development has provided insight into the molecular explanation of XX maleness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Romina P. Grinspon
- Centro de Investigaciones Endocrinológicas “Dr. César Bergadá” (CEDIE), CONICET – FEI – División de Endocrinología, Hospital de Niños Ricardo Gutiérrez, C1425EFD Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Correspondence: (R.P.G.); (R.A.R.); Tel.: +54-11-49635931 (R.P.G.)
| | - Rodolfo A. Rey
- Centro de Investigaciones Endocrinológicas “Dr. César Bergadá” (CEDIE), CONICET – FEI – División de Endocrinología, Hospital de Niños Ricardo Gutiérrez, C1425EFD Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Departamento de Histología, Biología Celular, Embriología y Genética, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos Aires, C1121ABG Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Correspondence: (R.P.G.); (R.A.R.); Tel.: +54-11-49635931 (R.P.G.)
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Knarston IM, Robevska G, van den Bergen JA, Eggers S, Croft B, Yates J, Hersmus R, Looijenga LHJ, Cameron FJ, Monhike K, Ayers KL, Sinclair AH. NR5A1 gene variants repress the ovarian-specific WNT signaling pathway in 46,XX disorders of sex development patients. Hum Mutat 2018; 40:207-216. [PMID: 30350900 PMCID: PMC6492147 DOI: 10.1002/humu.23672] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2018] [Revised: 10/08/2018] [Accepted: 10/20/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Several recent reports have described a missense variant in the gene NR5A1 (c.274C>T; p.Arg92Trp) in a significant number of 46,XX ovotesticular or testicular disorders of sex development (DSDs) cases. The affected residue falls within the DNA‐binding domain of the NR5A1 protein, however the exact mechanism by which it causes testicular development in 46,XX individuals remains unclear. We have screened a cohort of 26 patients with 46,XX (ovo)testicular DSD and identified three unrelated individuals with this NR5A1 variant (p.Arg92Trp), as well as one patient with a novel NR5A1 variant (c.779C>T; p.Ala260Val). We examined the functional effect of these changes, finding that while protein levels and localization were unaffected, variant NR5A1 proteins repress the WNT signaling pathway and have less ability to upregulate the anti‐testis gene NR0B1. These findings highlight how NR5A1 variants impact ovarian differentiation across multiple pathways, resulting in a switch from ovarian to testis development in genetic females.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ingrid M Knarston
- Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia.,Department of Paediatrics, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | | | | | | | - Brittany Croft
- Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia.,The Hudson Institute of Medical Research, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Jason Yates
- The Townsville Hospital, Department of Health, Queensland, Australia
| | - Remko Hersmus
- Department of Pathology, Josephine Nefkens Building, Erasmus University Medical Centre, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Leendert H J Looijenga
- Department of Pathology, Josephine Nefkens Building, Erasmus University Medical Centre, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Fergus J Cameron
- Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia.,Department of Paediatrics, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.,Department of Endocrinology and Diabetes, Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Klaus Monhike
- Otto-von-Guericke Universität, Universitätskinderklinik, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Katie L Ayers
- Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia.,Department of Paediatrics, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Andrew H Sinclair
- Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia.,Department of Paediatrics, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
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Song Y, Fan L, Gong C. Phenotype and Molecular Characterizations of 30 Children From China With NR5A1 Mutations. Front Pharmacol 2018; 9:1224. [PMID: 30425642 PMCID: PMC6218886 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2018.01224] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2018] [Accepted: 10/08/2018] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: Patients harboring NR5A1 mutations have a wide spectrum of phenotypes. Objective: To investigate the phenotype of patients with NR5A1 gene mutations from a 30 Chinese patient cohort. Methods: We reported the clinical features of children with NR5A1 gene mutations and compared them between two groups of patients with social genders of male (boys group) and female (girls group). Results: Thirty patients with NR5A1 mutations ranging from 2 months to 17 years of age were studied. There were 11 boys and 19 girls who were identified when they visited the hospital. The patients were verified as having testes without a uterus and ovaries by B-mode ultrasound. There was no difference between boys and girls in terms of the Prader stage (p = 0.086), but the position of the testes was higher in girls than in boys (p = 0.013). The patients’ average height is −0.43 SDS according to the normal boys’ height with SDS (while their average target height was 0.07 SDS). However, there was no such difference between boys and girls (p > 0.05). Although the basal LH and post-hCG testosterone (T) levels were not different (p > 0.05), but the basal FSH level, LH/FSH ratio, and INHB level were decreased in girls (p = 0.002; p = 0.001; p = 0.006). All of the mothers of the patients reported to have normal pregnancies. We found 24 patients (80%) with de novo mutations in the NR5A1 gene; 5 patients had inherited mutations from their mothers, and one inherited from the father. Only the mothers of patients 16 and 18 showed premature ovarian failure at the time of reporting. Among 26 disease associated mutations, 14 novel mutations that have been reported the first time and p.R87C is the most common Among the other 12 had had been reported,the p.R313C is the most common. Conclusion: Patients with 46, XY NR5A1 mutations presented a wide spectrum of external genitalia characteristics and severe Sertoli cell impairment. The p.R87C and p.R313C mutations appeared to be common (10%) in this group, and 14 new mutations were identified, improving our understanding the genotype phenotype correlations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanning Song
- Beijing Children's Hospital, Capital Medical University, National Center for Children's Health, Beijing, China
| | - Lijun Fan
- Beijing Children's Hospital, Capital Medical University, National Center for Children's Health, Beijing, China
| | - Chunxiu Gong
- Beijing Children's Hospital, Capital Medical University, National Center for Children's Health, Beijing, China.,Beijing Key Laboratory for Genetics of Birth Defects, Beijing Children's Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
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