Fertility and fragrance: another cause of Kallmann syndrome

Kallmann syndrome is an inherited deficiency of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) that is characterized by hypogonadism with delayed or absent puberty and dysfunctional olfaction. While Kallmann syndrome-associated mutations have been identified in some sets of patients, for many of these individuals, the underlying cause remains unknown. In this issue of the JCI, Cariboni and colleagues identify mutations in semaphorin 3E (SEMA3E) in two brothers with Kallmann syndrome. In animal models, loss of SEMA3E signaling recapitulated phenotypes of the probands and resulted in enhanced GnRH neuron death during development. The results of this study offer important insight into the development of Kallmann syndrome and provide tools for elucidating mutations that underlie complex hormonal phenotypes.