Role of Snord116 in pituitary growth hormone deficiency of Prader-Willi Syndrome

Loss of Snord116 in mice recapitulates some of the most salient clinical features of PWS, including growth hormone (GH) deficiency and hypogonadism. This study explored the impact of Snord116 deficiency on early postnatal pituitary development and growth in Snord116 KO mice.

Snord116 was found to be expressed in both anterior and posterior pituitary. Pituitary transcriptomes of Snord116 KO and wild-type (WT) mice at two developmental stages, postnatal day 0 (P0) and 4 weeks of age, were interrogated and related to ex vivo analyses of GH secretion in the pituitaries of 5-week-old mice. Significant differences in pituitary transcriptomes were detected between Snord116 KO and WT mice at 4 weeks of age but not at P0.