Functional study of two siblings with isolated growth hormone deficiency and pituitary MR imaging abnormalities caused by a novel HESX1 variant.

purposeOur study identifies a novel HESX1 variant in two siblings, resulting in isolated growth hormone deficiency (IGHD) associated with empty sella. To the best of our knowledge, this represents the second recognized mutation within the EH1 repressor domain in HESX1. We explore and interpret the potential mechanism, with the aim of guiding pediatricians comprehend this disorder.

methodsThe clinical data for two Chinese siblings was summarized. Furthermore, multiple sequence alignment and pathogenicity prediction of functional effects through five online algorithms were performed. Additionally, AlphaFold 3 was introduced to predict the three-dimensional protein structure of wild-type HESX1 and its variant. Immunoblotting analysis was also employed to examine changes in protein levels, and a luciferase reporter assay was conducted to further investigate the effects of HESX1 and its variant on PROP1 transcriptional activity.

resultsThis report details two siblings with IGHD and empty sella, caused by a novel Ile23Thr (c.T68C) HESX1 missense mutation in exon 1. This variant was predicted to be disease-causing and to enhance the stability and local contact with E24, as indicated by the 3D prediction model. In the presence of PROP1, the mutant HESX1 exhibited a marked reduction in the suppression of PROP1-mediated activity relative to the wild-type HESX1.

conclusionsThe HESX1 (Ile23Thr) mutation is a partial loss-of-function mutation that attenuates the inhibition of PROP1-mediated activation. This suggests that the mutant can lead to GH deficiency and brain malformation.