The 17-beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 3 (17-β-HSD3) enzyme converts androstenedione to testosterone and is encoded by the HSD17B3 gene. Homozygous or compound heterozygous HSD17B3 mutations block the synthesis of testosterone in the fetal testis, resulting in a Disorder of Sex Development (DSD). We describe a child raised as a female in whom the discovery of testes in the inguinal canals led to a genetic study by whole exome sequencing (WES) and to the identification of a compound heterozygous mutation of the HSD17B3 gene (c.608C>T, p.Ala203Val, and c.645A>T, p.Glu215Asp). Furthermore, we review all HSD17B3 mutations published so far in cases of 17-β-HSD3 deficiency. A total of 70 different HSD17B3 mutations have so far been reported in 239 patients from 187 families. A total of 118 families had homozygous mutations, 63 had compound heterozygous mutations and six had undetermined genotypes. Mutations occurred in all 11 exons and were missense (55%), splice-site (29%), small deletions and insertions (7%), nonsense (5%), and multiple exon deletions and duplications (2%). Several mutations were recurrent and missense mutations at codon 80 and the splice-site mutation c.277+4A>T each represented 17% of all mutated alleles. These findings may be useful to those involved in the clinical management and genetic diagnosis of this disorder.
Keywords: 17-beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 3; Disorder of Sex Development (DSD); HSD17B3; mutation; pseudohermaphroditism.