De novo disruption of promoter and exon 1 of STAR gene reveals essential role for gonadal development

Clinical characteristics of a male child with non-classic lipoid congenital adrenal hyperplasia and literature review

BACKGROUND

Lipoid congenital adrenal hyperplasia (LCAH) is a rare and severe disorder that is caused by mutations in the steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR). Non-classic LCAH is defined as late-onset glucocorticoid deficiency and even complete male external genitalia in 46,XY individuals. However, to date, few cases of non-classic LCAH have been reported.

METHODS

It was attempted to describe the clinical characteristics of a male child with complete male external genitalia in terms of age of onset, adrenal function, and biochemical indicators. Previously reported cases were also reviewed to investigate the relationship of age of onset with enzymatic activity in non-classic LCAH.

RESULTS

The patient with complete male external genitalia was diagnosed with non-classic LCAH, in which the reason for his referral to a local hospital at the of age 1.25 years was progressive skin hyperpigmentation, and plasma adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) level was elevated to higher than 1,250 pg/ml. The compound heterozygous mutations c.772C>T/c.562C>T in STAR gene were identified via genetic testing. The literature review resulted in identification of 47 patients with non-classic LCAH from 36 families. The mutational analysis showed that c.562C>T mutation was prevalent in patients with non-classic LCAH, accounting for 37.2% of the total mutant alleles, which could reflect the founder effect on the non-classic LCAH population. In total, 28 46,XY patients were reported, including 22 (78.5%) cases with complete male external genitalia and six (21.5%) cases with different degrees of hypospadias.

CONCLUSION

The clinical phenotypes of non-classic LCAH are highly variable. Routine physical examination, laboratory measurement, genetic testing, and, importantly, enzymatic activity assay may facilitate the early diagnosis of non-classic LCAH. The age of primary adrenal insufficiency (PAI) onset may not be a diagnostic basis for non-classic LCAH, and enzymatic activity assay determination may be more effective.

Disorders of Sex Development: Classification, Review, and Impact on Fertility

In this review, the elements included in both sex determination and sex differentiation are briefly analyzed, exposing the pathophysiological and clinical classification of disorders or anomalies of sex development. Anomalies in sex determination without sex ambiguity include gonadal dysgenesis, polysomies, male XX, and Klinefelter syndrome (dysgenesis and polysomies with a female phenotype; and sex reversal and Klinefelter with a male phenotype). Other infertility situations could also be included here as minor degrees of dysgenesis. Anomalies in sex determination with sex ambiguity should (usually) include testicular dysgenesis and ovotesticular disorders. Among the anomalies in sex differentiation, we include: (1) males with androgen deficiency (MAD) that correspond to those individuals whose karyotype and gonads are male (XY and testes), but the phenotype can be female due to different hormonal abnormalities. (2) females with androgen excess (FAE); these patients have ovaries and a 46,XX karyotype, but present varying degrees of external genital virilization as a result of an enzyme abnormality that affects adrenal steroid biosynthesis and leads to congenital adrenal hyperplasia; less frequently, this can be caused by iatrogenia or tumors. (3) Kallman syndrome. All of these anomalies are reviewed and analyzed herein, as well as related fertility problems.