Genetics and molecular pathogenesis of pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma

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Although most pheochromocytomas (PCCs) and paragangliomas (PGLs) are sporadic, molecular genetic medicine has revealed that a considerable number of patients with apparently sporadic PCC actually have a genetic predisposition to the development of these tumors. After decades of intensive research, several genes are now known to play an important role in the pathogenesis of PCC. At present, these are RET proto-oncogene, von Hippel-Lindau disease tumor suppressor gene (VHL), neurofibromatosis type 1 tumor suppressor gene (NF1), genes encoding the succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) complex subunits SDHB, SDHC, and SDHD, but also SDHA, the gene encoding the enzyme responsible for the flavination of SDHA (SDHAF2 or hSDH5), and the newly described TMEM127 and MAX tumor suppressor genes. In addition to these ten PCC susceptibility genes, two other genes, KIF1B and PHD2, have also been associated with PCC. Studying the pathogenesis and the molecular correlation of these mutations has revealed the existence of two main transcription signatures: a pseudohypoxic cluster (VHL and SDH mutations) and a cluster rich in kinase receptor signaling and their downstream pathways (RET, NF1, TMEM127, and MAX mutations). However, the general mechanism in the pathogenesis of a syndrome does not entirely apply in the particular pathogenesis of PCC as a manifestation of that syndrome. A better understanding of the complexity and high genetic diversity of PCC and PGL may lead to more efficient diagnosis and management of the disease.