| pubmed-article:12364472 | pubmed:abstractText | Three genes encoding for mitochondrial complex II proteins are linked to hereditary paraganglioma. We have recently shown that an inactivation of the SDHD gene is associated with a complete loss of mitochondrial complex II activity and a stimulation of the angiogenic pathway (Gimenez-Roqueplo, A. P., J. Favier, P. Rustin, J. J. Mourad, P. F. Plouin, P. Corvol, A. Rötig, and X. Jeunemaitre, 2001, Am J Hum Genet 69:1186-1197). Here, we relate the case of a malignant sporadic pheochromocytoma induced by a germline missense mutation of the SDHB gene. Within the tumor, a loss of heterozygosity at chromosome 1pter led to a null SDHB allele and to a complete loss of complex II enzymatic activity. In situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry experiments showed a high expression of hypoxic-angiogenic responsive genes, similar to that previously observed in inherited-SDHD tumors. This observation highlights the role of the complex II mitochondrial genes in the oxygen-sensing pathway and in the regulation of angiogenesis of neural crest-derived tumors. | lld:pubmed |
