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Growth and growth disorders in 2017

Genetic and epigenetic regulation of childhood growth

Studies of rare growth disorders taken together with large-scale genetic studies of adult height variability have uncovered a large genetic network regulating childhood growth. Advances in technology and experimental model systems will help decipher the molecular mechanisms of this complex network and lead to novel treatment approaches for growth disorders.

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Figure 1: Allelic series in growth genes.

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Acknowledgements

The work of O.N. was supported by grants from the Swedish Research Council (project K2015-54X-22 736-01-4 and 2015-02227), the Swedish Governmental Agency for Innovation Systems (Vinnova) (2014-01438), the Marianne and Marcus Wallenberg Foundation, the Stockholm County Council, Byggmästare Olle Engkvist Stiftelse, the Swedish Society of Medicine, the Novo Nordisk Foundation (grant NNF16OC0021508), the Erik och Edith Fernström Foundation for Medical Research, HKH Kronprinsessan Lovisas förening för barnasjukvård, Sällskapet Barnavård, Stiftelsen Frimurare Barnhuset i Stockholm, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden and Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden.

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Correspondence to Ola Nilsson.

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O.N. has received speakers' honoraria from Lilly, Merck Serono and Pfizer, and research support from the Novo Nordisk Foundation.

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Nilsson, O. Genetic and epigenetic regulation of childhood growth. Nat Rev Endocrinol 14, 70–72 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrendo.2017.178

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