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1
Mappings
1
Inheritance
4
Pathophys.
8
Phenotypes
5
Pathograph
1
Genes
2
Treatments
1
Deep Research
🔗

Mappings

MONDO
MONDO:0035540 pheochromocytoma-paraganglioma
skos:closeMatch MONDO
MONDO new term request 9960 requests a dedicated Pacak-Zhuang syndrome term; until that term is merged, pheochromocytoma-paraganglioma is the closest available MONDO disease anchor for the syndrome's core neuroendocrine tumor component.
👪

Inheritance

1
Somatic Mosaicism
Pacak-Zhuang syndrome is caused by early postzygotic somatic gain-of-function mutations in EPAS1 rather than inherited germline variation. Mosaic distribution across tissues explains variable organ involvement and the non-Mendelian recurrence pattern.
Show evidence (2 references)
PMID:37450881 SUPPORT Human Clinical
"Herein, we review our initial identification of a new syndrome of multiple paragangliomas, somatostatinomas, and polycythemia caused by early postzygotic mosaic mutations in EPAS1, encoding hypoxia-inducible factor 2 alpha (HIF-2α)"
Review article explicitly defines the syndrome as an early postzygotic mosaic EPAS1 disorder.
PMID:27679736 SUPPORT Human Clinical
"Six females and one male presented at a median age of 28 years (range 11-46). Two were found to have HIF2A somatic mosaicism. No relatives were affected."
Clinical series supports somatic mosaic, non-familial disease causation.

Pathophysiology

4
Somatic mosaic EPAS1 activation
Early postzygotic gain-of-function mutations in EPAS1 create mosaic cell populations with constitutive HIF-2alpha activity.
EPAS1 link
Show evidence (2 references)
PMID:37450881 SUPPORT Human Clinical
"Herein, we review our initial identification of a new syndrome of multiple paragangliomas, somatostatinomas, and polycythemia caused by early postzygotic mosaic mutations in EPAS1"
Supports EPAS1 as the causal gene and places the mutational event early in embryonic development.
PMID:23509317 SUPPORT Human Clinical
"Patients were found to have polycythemia, multiple PGLs, and duodenal somatostatinomas by imaging or biochemistry with somatic gain-of-function HIF2A mutations."
Landmark case series identifies activating somatic HIF2A/EPAS1 mutations in affected patients.
Impaired HIF-2alpha hydroxylation and degradation
Syndrome-associated HIF2A variants cluster near the oxygen-sensing proline residue, decrease prolyl hydroxylation, reduce VHL binding, and prolong HIF-2alpha half-life under normoxic conditions.
response to hypoxia link ↑ INCREASED
Show evidence (1 reference)
PMID:23509317 SUPPORT Human Clinical
"The HIF2A mutations in these patients were clustered adjacent to an oxygen-sensing proline residue, affecting HIF2α interaction with the prolyl hydroxylase domain 2-containing protein, decreasing the hydroxylation of HIF2α, and reducing HIF2α affinity for the von Hippel-Lindau protein and its..."
Directly supports the protein-stabilization mechanism that activates the HIF pathway in this syndrome.
Hypoxia-response gene upregulation
Stabilized HIF-2alpha upregulates hypoxia-response genes including EPO, VEGFA, GLUT1, and END1, producing persistent erythrocytosis signals and a pseudohypoxic tumor program.
cellular response to hypoxia link ↑ INCREASED
Show evidence (2 references)
PMID:23509317 SUPPORT Human Clinical
"An increase in the half-life of HIF2α was associated with upregulation of the hypoxia-related genes EPO, VEGFA, GLUT1, and END1 in tumors."
Direct evidence that stabilized HIF-2alpha increases transcription of canonical hypoxia-response genes in syndrome-associated tumors.
PMID:27679736 SUPPORT Human Clinical
"Polycythemia was detected in patients in early childhood (median 2 years, range from birth to 7 years). Erythropoietin (EPO) levels were an average of 5 times above the upper limit of normal in all patients."
Supports downstream physiological activation of the erythropoietin axis in affected patients.
Neuroendocrine tumor predisposition
HIF-2alpha pathway activation predisposes chromaffin and enteroendocrine lineages to recurrent multifocal neuroendocrine tumors within the pheochromocytoma/paraganglioma and somatostatinoma spectrum.
chromaffin cell link type D enteroendocrine cell link
Show evidence (2 references)
PMID:23509317 SUPPORT Human Clinical
"Patients were found to have polycythemia, multiple PGLs, and duodenal somatostatinomas by imaging or biochemistry with somatic gain-of-function HIF2A mutations."
Establishes the core neuroendocrine tumor phenotype linked to EPAS1/HIF2A activation.
PMID:27679736 SUPPORT Human Clinical
"PGLs were found at a median age of 17 years (range 8-38) and SOMs at 29 years (range 22-38). PGLs were multiple, recurrent and metastatic in 100, 100 and 29% of all cases, and SOMs in 40, 40 and 60%, respectively."
Documents the characteristic recurrent multifocal PPGL/somatostatinoma tumor spectrum in the syndrome.

Pathograph

Use the checkboxes to hide or show graph categories. Hover nodes for evidence and cross-linked metadata.
Pathograph: causal mechanism network for Pacak-Zhuang syndrome Interactive directed graph showing how pathophysiology mechanisms, phenotypes, genetic factors and variants, experimental models, environmental triggers, and treatments relate through causal and linked edges.

Phenotypes

8
Blood 1
Polycythemia VERY_FREQUENT Polycythemia (HP:0001901)
Show evidence (1 reference)
PMID:27679736 SUPPORT Human Clinical
"All patients were diagnosed with polycythemia before age 8"
This clinical series supports early childhood polycythemia as a hallmark presenting feature.
Endocrine 2
Pheochromocytoma FREQUENT Pheochromocytoma (HP:0002666)
Show evidence (1 reference)
PMID:27679736 SUPPORT Human Clinical
"Patients were found to have multiple (100%), recurrent (100%), and metastatic (29%) PGLs, with adrenal involvement in four cases."
Adrenal involvement in four of seven patients supports a frequent pheochromocytoma component.
Somatostatinoma FREQUENT Neuroendocrine neoplasm (HP:0100634)
Show evidence (1 reference)
PMID:23509317 SUPPORT Human Clinical
"Patients were found to have polycythemia, multiple PGLs, and duodenal somatostatinomas by imaging or biochemistry with somatic gain-of-function HIF2A mutations."
Original syndrome report establishes duodenal somatostatinoma as part of the defining clinical triad.
Other 5
Paraganglioma VERY_FREQUENT Paraganglioma (HP:0002668)
Show evidence (1 reference)
PMID:27679736 SUPPORT Human Clinical
"PGL developed later in life at a median age of 17 years (range 8–38) in all patients. PGLs were predominantly of the norepinephrine-producing biochemical phenotype."
Supports paraganglioma as the universal and dominant PPGL-spectrum tumor manifestation in the cohort.
Ophthalmologic abnormalities VERY_FREQUENT
Show evidence (1 reference)
PMID:27679736 SUPPORT Human Clinical
"We observed optic disc fibrosis in all patients (Supplementary Figure 1)."
Supports ophthalmologic involvement as a near-constant associated feature.
Vascular malformations and cystic lesions FREQUENT
Show evidence (2 references)
PMID:27679736 SUPPORT Human Clinical
"Computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging revealed cystic lesions at multiple sites and hemangiomas in 4 patients (57%)"
Cohort study documents frequent associated cystic and hemangiomatous lesions.
PMID:37450881 SUPPORT Human Clinical
"our continued exploration of new disease phenotypes in this syndrome, including vascular malformations and neural tube defects."
Review broadens the recognized phenotype to include developmental vascular malformations.
Neural tube defects OCCASIONAL Neural tube defect (HP:0045005)
Show evidence (1 reference)
PMID:37450881 SUPPORT Human Clinical
"our continued exploration of new disease phenotypes in this syndrome, including vascular malformations and neural tube defects."
Review identifies neural tube defects as an expanded but not yet frequency-quantified syndrome phenotype.
Gallbladder disease FREQUENT Abnormality of the gallbladder (HP:0005264)
Show evidence (1 reference)
PMID:27679736 SUPPORT Human Clinical
"gallbladder disease, with four having chronic cholecystitis and two, cholelithiasis, usually in early adulthood at a median of 29 years (range 19–39)."
Cohort study supports frequent gallbladder involvement and specifies the dominant manifestations as cholecystitis and cholelithiasis.
🧬

Genetic Associations

1
EPAS1 (Early postzygotic somatic mosaic gain-of-function mutation)
Show evidence (2 references)
PMID:23509317 SUPPORT Human Clinical
"Each patient carried an identical unique mutation in both types of tumors but not in germline DNA."
Establishes that the causal HIF2A/EPAS1 variants are somatic rather than germline.
PMID:37450881 SUPPORT Human Clinical
"Herein, we review our initial identification of a new syndrome of multiple paragangliomas, somatostatinomas, and polycythemia caused by early postzygotic mosaic mutations in EPAS1"
Confirms EPAS1 as the established syndrome gene and frames the mosaic developmental timing as clinically important.
💊

Treatments

2
Surgical management
Action: surgical procedure MAXO:0000004
Surgery remains the main treatment for localized PPGL and somatostatinoma lesions, but repeated interventions are often required because tumors are multifocal and recurrent.
Show evidence (1 reference)
PMID:27679736 SUPPORT Human Clinical
"Current treatment options are exclusively surgical."
Cohort follow-up describes surgery as the historical standard of care.
Belzutifan
Action: Pharmacotherapy NCIT:C15986
Agent: belzutifan
Selective HIF-2alpha inhibition with belzutifan has produced a rapid and sustained response in an EPAS1-mosaic patient, improving tumor burden, hypertension, headaches, and long-standing polycythemia.
Show evidence (1 reference)
PMID:34818480 SUPPORT Human Clinical
"Treatment with belzutifan led to a rapid and sustained tumor response along with resolution of hypertension, headaches, and long-standing polycythemia."
Case report provides direct proof-of-mechanism that HIF-2alpha inhibition can reverse core disease manifestations.
🔬

Biochemical Markers

3
Erythropoietin
Plasma or urine metanephrines
Somatostatin
{ }

Source YAML

click to show
name: Pacak-Zhuang syndrome
creation_date: '2026-04-16T19:19:03Z'
updated_date: '2026-04-20T03:02:00Z'
category: Genetic
description: >-
  Pacak-Zhuang syndrome is an ultra-rare mosaic tumor-predisposition syndrome
  caused by early postzygotic gain-of-function mutations in EPAS1, which encodes
  HIF-2alpha. The core phenotype is childhood-onset polycythemia followed by
  pheochromocytoma/paraganglioma-spectrum tumors and somatostatinoma, with
  additional reported ophthalmologic abnormalities and vascular/cystic lesions.
  Mechanistically, disease-causing EPAS1 variants stabilize HIF-2alpha, impair
  oxygen-dependent degradation, and drive constitutive hypoxia-pathway
  activation with persistent erythropoietin signaling and neuroendocrine tumor
  predisposition.
parents:
- pheochromocytoma-paraganglioma
synonyms:
- EPAS1 gain-of-function mutation syndrome
- polycythemia-paraganglioma-somatostatinoma syndrome
disease_term:
  preferred_term: Pacak-Zhuang syndrome
  term:
    id: MONDO:0035540
    label: pheochromocytoma-paraganglioma
mappings:
  mondo_mappings:
  - term:
      id: MONDO:0035540
      label: pheochromocytoma-paraganglioma
    mapping_predicate: skos:closeMatch
    mapping_source: MONDO
    mapping_justification: >-
      MONDO new term request 9960 requests a dedicated Pacak-Zhuang syndrome
      term; until that
      term is merged, pheochromocytoma-paraganglioma is the closest available
      MONDO disease anchor for the syndrome's core neuroendocrine tumor
      component.
inheritance:
- name: Somatic Mosaicism
  description: >-
    Pacak-Zhuang syndrome is caused by early postzygotic somatic gain-of-function
    mutations in EPAS1 rather than inherited germline variation. Mosaic
    distribution across tissues explains variable organ involvement and the
    non-Mendelian recurrence pattern.
  evidence:
  - reference: PMID:37450881
    reference_title: "Pacak-Zhuang syndrome: a model providing new insights into tumor syndromes."
    supports: SUPPORT
    evidence_source: HUMAN_CLINICAL
    snippet: >-
      Herein, we review our initial identification of a new syndrome of multiple
      paragangliomas, somatostatinomas, and polycythemia caused by early
      postzygotic mosaic mutations in EPAS1, encoding hypoxia-inducible factor 2
      alpha (HIF-2α)
    explanation: >-
      Review article explicitly defines the syndrome as an early postzygotic
      mosaic EPAS1 disorder.
  - reference: PMID:27679736
    reference_title: "Novel insights into the polycythemia-paraganglioma-somatostatinoma syndrome."
    supports: SUPPORT
    evidence_source: HUMAN_CLINICAL
    snippet: >-
      Six females and one male presented at a median age of 28 years (range
      11-46). Two were found to have HIF2A somatic mosaicism. No relatives were
      affected.
    explanation: >-
      Clinical series supports somatic mosaic, non-familial disease causation.
prevalence:
- population: Worldwide reported literature
  percentage: Unknown
  notes: >-
    Population prevalence has not been established. The syndrome remains known
    mainly from small case series and individual reports.
  evidence:
  - reference: PMID:27679736
    reference_title: "Novel insights into the polycythemia-paraganglioma-somatostatinoma syndrome."
    supports: SUPPORT
    evidence_source: HUMAN_CLINICAL
    snippet: >-
      are described in only a few patients with somatic mutations in the
      hypoxia-inducible factor 2 alpha (HIF2A).
    explanation: >-
      This cohort paper explicitly describes the syndrome as being limited to
      only a few reported patients.
pathophysiology:
- name: Somatic mosaic EPAS1 activation
  description: >-
    Early postzygotic gain-of-function mutations in EPAS1 create mosaic cell
    populations with constitutive HIF-2alpha activity.
  genes:
  - preferred_term: EPAS1
    term:
      id: hgnc:3374
      label: EPAS1
  evidence:
  - reference: PMID:37450881
    reference_title: "Pacak-Zhuang syndrome: a model providing new insights into tumor syndromes."
    supports: SUPPORT
    evidence_source: HUMAN_CLINICAL
    snippet: >-
      Herein, we review our initial identification of a new syndrome of multiple
      paragangliomas, somatostatinomas, and polycythemia caused by early
      postzygotic mosaic mutations in EPAS1
    explanation: >-
      Supports EPAS1 as the causal gene and places the mutational event early in
      embryonic development.
  - reference: PMID:23509317
    reference_title: "New syndrome of paraganglioma and somatostatinoma associated with polycythemia."
    supports: SUPPORT
    evidence_source: HUMAN_CLINICAL
    snippet: >-
      Patients were found to have polycythemia, multiple PGLs, and duodenal
      somatostatinomas by imaging or biochemistry with somatic gain-of-function
      HIF2A mutations.
    explanation: >-
      Landmark case series identifies activating somatic HIF2A/EPAS1 mutations in
      affected patients.
  downstream:
  - target: Impaired HIF-2alpha hydroxylation and degradation
    description: >-
      Disease-associated variants interfere with the normal oxygen-sensing
      degradation machinery.
- name: Impaired HIF-2alpha hydroxylation and degradation
  description: >-
    Syndrome-associated HIF2A variants cluster near the oxygen-sensing proline
    residue, decrease prolyl hydroxylation, reduce VHL binding, and prolong
    HIF-2alpha half-life under normoxic conditions.
  biological_processes:
  - preferred_term: response to hypoxia
    modifier: INCREASED
    term:
      id: GO:0001666
      label: response to hypoxia
  evidence:
  - reference: PMID:23509317
    reference_title: "New syndrome of paraganglioma and somatostatinoma associated with polycythemia."
    supports: SUPPORT
    evidence_source: HUMAN_CLINICAL
    snippet: >-
      The HIF2A mutations in these patients were clustered adjacent to an
      oxygen-sensing proline residue, affecting HIF2α interaction with the
      prolyl hydroxylase domain 2-containing protein, decreasing the
      hydroxylation of HIF2α, and reducing HIF2α affinity for the von
      Hippel-Lindau protein and its degradation.
    explanation: >-
      Directly supports the protein-stabilization mechanism that activates the
      HIF pathway in this syndrome.
  downstream:
  - target: Hypoxia-response gene upregulation
    description: Stabilized HIF-2alpha increases transcription of HIF target genes.
- name: Hypoxia-response gene upregulation
  description: >-
    Stabilized HIF-2alpha upregulates hypoxia-response genes including EPO,
    VEGFA, GLUT1, and END1, producing persistent erythrocytosis signals and a
    pseudohypoxic tumor program.
  biological_processes:
  - preferred_term: cellular response to hypoxia
    modifier: INCREASED
    term:
      id: GO:0071456
      label: cellular response to hypoxia
  evidence:
  - reference: PMID:23509317
    reference_title: "New syndrome of paraganglioma and somatostatinoma associated with polycythemia."
    supports: SUPPORT
    evidence_source: HUMAN_CLINICAL
    snippet: >-
      An increase in the half-life of HIF2α was associated with upregulation
      of the hypoxia-related genes EPO, VEGFA, GLUT1, and END1 in tumors.
    explanation: >-
      Direct evidence that stabilized HIF-2alpha increases transcription of
      canonical hypoxia-response genes in syndrome-associated tumors.
  - reference: PMID:27679736
    reference_title: "Novel insights into the polycythemia-paraganglioma-somatostatinoma syndrome."
    supports: SUPPORT
    evidence_source: HUMAN_CLINICAL
    snippet: >-
      Polycythemia was detected in patients in early childhood (median 2 years,
      range from birth to 7 years). Erythropoietin (EPO) levels were an average
      of 5 times above the upper limit of normal in all patients.
    explanation: >-
      Supports downstream physiological activation of the erythropoietin axis in
      affected patients.
  downstream:
  - target: Neuroendocrine tumor predisposition
    description: Pseudohypoxic signaling predisposes to PPGL-spectrum tumors and somatostatinoma.
- name: Neuroendocrine tumor predisposition
  description: >-
    HIF-2alpha pathway activation predisposes chromaffin and enteroendocrine
    lineages to recurrent multifocal neuroendocrine tumors within the
    pheochromocytoma/paraganglioma and somatostatinoma spectrum.
  cell_types:
  - preferred_term: chromaffin cell
    term:
      id: CL:0000166
      label: chromaffin cell
  - preferred_term: type D enteroendocrine cell
    term:
      id: CL:0000502
      label: type D enteroendocrine cell
  evidence:
  - reference: PMID:23509317
    reference_title: "New syndrome of paraganglioma and somatostatinoma associated with polycythemia."
    supports: SUPPORT
    evidence_source: HUMAN_CLINICAL
    snippet: >-
      Patients were found to have polycythemia, multiple PGLs, and duodenal
      somatostatinomas by imaging or biochemistry with somatic gain-of-function
      HIF2A mutations.
    explanation: >-
      Establishes the core neuroendocrine tumor phenotype linked to EPAS1/HIF2A
      activation.
  - reference: PMID:27679736
    reference_title: "Novel insights into the polycythemia-paraganglioma-somatostatinoma syndrome."
    supports: SUPPORT
    evidence_source: HUMAN_CLINICAL
    snippet: >-
      PGLs were found at a median age of 17 years (range 8-38) and SOMs at 29
      years (range 22-38). PGLs were multiple, recurrent and metastatic in 100,
      100 and 29% of all cases, and SOMs in 40, 40 and 60%, respectively.
    explanation: >-
      Documents the characteristic recurrent multifocal PPGL/somatostatinoma
      tumor spectrum in the syndrome.
phenotypes:
- category: Hematologic
  name: Polycythemia
  frequency: VERY_FREQUENT
  diagnostic: true
  description: >-
    Polycythemia typically presents at birth or in early childhood and usually
    precedes tumor detection by years.
  phenotype_term:
    preferred_term: Polycythemia
    term:
      id: HP:0001901
      label: Polycythemia
  evidence:
  - reference: PMID:27679736
    reference_title: "Novel insights into the polycythemia-paraganglioma-somatostatinoma syndrome."
    supports: SUPPORT
    evidence_source: HUMAN_CLINICAL
    snippet: All patients were diagnosed with polycythemia before age 8
    explanation: >-
      This clinical series supports early childhood polycythemia as a hallmark
      presenting feature.
- category: Neoplastic
  name: Paraganglioma
  frequency: VERY_FREQUENT
  diagnostic: true
  description: >-
    Paragangliomas are the dominant PPGL-spectrum tumor manifestation in
    Pacak-Zhuang syndrome and are often multifocal, recurrent, and
    norepinephrine-producing.
  phenotype_term:
    preferred_term: Paraganglioma
    term:
      id: HP:0002668
      label: Paraganglioma
  evidence:
  - reference: PMID:27679736
    reference_title: "Novel insights into the polycythemia-paraganglioma-somatostatinoma syndrome."
    supports: SUPPORT
    evidence_source: HUMAN_CLINICAL
    snippet: >-
      PGL developed later in life at a median age of 17 years (range 8–38) in
      all patients. PGLs were predominantly of the norepinephrine-producing
      biochemical phenotype.
    explanation: >-
      Supports paraganglioma as the universal and dominant PPGL-spectrum tumor
      manifestation in the cohort.
- category: Neoplastic
  name: Pheochromocytoma
  frequency: FREQUENT
  description: >-
    Adrenal involvement occurs in a substantial subset of patients, indicating a
    frequent pheochromocytoma component within the broader PPGL phenotype.
  phenotype_term:
    preferred_term: Pheochromocytoma
    term:
      id: HP:0002666
      label: Pheochromocytoma
  evidence:
  - reference: PMID:27679736
    reference_title: "Novel insights into the polycythemia-paraganglioma-somatostatinoma syndrome."
    supports: SUPPORT
    evidence_source: HUMAN_CLINICAL
    snippet: >-
      Patients were found to have multiple (100%), recurrent (100%), and
      metastatic (29%) PGLs, with adrenal involvement in four cases.
    explanation: >-
      Adrenal involvement in four of seven patients supports a frequent
      pheochromocytoma component.
- category: Neoplastic
  name: Somatostatinoma
  frequency: FREQUENT
  diagnostic: true
  description: >-
    Somatostatinomas are usually duodenal, tend to appear after the PPGL
    phenotype, and may recur or metastasize despite young age of onset.
  phenotype_term:
    preferred_term: somatostatinoma
    term:
      id: HP:0100634
      label: Neuroendocrine neoplasm
  evidence:
  - reference: PMID:23509317
    reference_title: "New syndrome of paraganglioma and somatostatinoma associated with polycythemia."
    supports: SUPPORT
    evidence_source: HUMAN_CLINICAL
    snippet: >-
      Patients were found to have polycythemia, multiple PGLs, and duodenal
      somatostatinomas by imaging or biochemistry with somatic gain-of-function
      HIF2A mutations.
    explanation: >-
      Original syndrome report establishes duodenal somatostatinoma as part of
      the defining clinical triad.
- category: Ophthalmologic
  name: Ophthalmologic abnormalities
  frequency: VERY_FREQUENT
  description: >-
    Eye findings are common and include optic disc fibrosis with additional
    retinal or macular changes in some patients.
  evidence:
  - reference: PMID:27679736
    reference_title: "Novel insights into the polycythemia-paraganglioma-somatostatinoma syndrome."
    supports: SUPPORT
    evidence_source: HUMAN_CLINICAL
    snippet: >-
      We observed optic disc fibrosis in all patients (Supplementary Figure 1).
    explanation: >-
      Supports ophthalmologic involvement as a near-constant associated feature.
- category: Vascular
  name: Vascular malformations and cystic lesions
  frequency: FREQUENT
  description: >-
    Associated lesions include hemangiomas and cysts in multiple organs, and
    later reports expanded the syndrome spectrum to developmental vascular
    malformations.
  evidence:
  - reference: PMID:27679736
    reference_title: "Novel insights into the polycythemia-paraganglioma-somatostatinoma syndrome."
    supports: SUPPORT
    evidence_source: HUMAN_CLINICAL
    snippet: >-
      Computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging revealed cystic
      lesions at multiple sites and hemangiomas in 4 patients (57%)
    explanation: >-
      Cohort study documents frequent associated cystic and hemangiomatous
      lesions.
  - reference: PMID:37450881
    reference_title: "Pacak-Zhuang syndrome: a model providing new insights into tumor syndromes."
    supports: SUPPORT
    evidence_source: HUMAN_CLINICAL
    snippet: >-
      our continued exploration of new disease phenotypes in this syndrome,
      including vascular malformations and neural tube defects.
    explanation: >-
      Review broadens the recognized phenotype to include developmental vascular
      malformations.
- category: Developmental
  name: Neural tube defects
  frequency: OCCASIONAL
  description: >-
    Neural tube defects have been reported as an expanded developmental
    phenotype in Pacak-Zhuang syndrome, consistent with the early embryonic
    timing of the mosaic EPAS1 defect.
  phenotype_term:
    preferred_term: Neural tube defect
    term:
      id: HP:0045005
      label: Neural tube defect
  evidence:
  - reference: PMID:37450881
    reference_title: "Pacak-Zhuang syndrome: a model providing new insights into tumor syndromes."
    supports: SUPPORT
    evidence_source: HUMAN_CLINICAL
    snippet: >-
      our continued exploration of new disease phenotypes in this syndrome,
      including vascular malformations and neural tube defects.
    explanation: >-
      Review identifies neural tube defects as an expanded but not yet
      frequency-quantified syndrome phenotype.
- category: Gastrointestinal
  name: Gallbladder disease
  frequency: FREQUENT
  description: >-
    Gallbladder disease is a frequent associated manifestation, particularly in
    patients with somatostatinoma, and includes chronic cholecystitis and
    cholelithiasis.
  phenotype_term:
    preferred_term: Abnormality of the gallbladder
    term:
      id: HP:0005264
      label: Abnormality of the gallbladder
  evidence:
  - reference: PMID:27679736
    reference_title: "Novel insights into the polycythemia-paraganglioma-somatostatinoma syndrome."
    supports: SUPPORT
    evidence_source: HUMAN_CLINICAL
    snippet: >-
      gallbladder disease, with four having chronic cholecystitis and two,
      cholelithiasis, usually in early adulthood at a median of 29 years (range
      19–39).
    explanation: >-
      Cohort study supports frequent gallbladder involvement and specifies the
      dominant manifestations as cholecystitis and cholelithiasis.
biochemical:
- name: Erythropoietin
  notes: >-
    Erythropoietin levels are often markedly elevated from early life and may
    remain abnormal after tumor resection, supporting systemic mosaic HIF
    pathway activation rather than purely paraneoplastic secretion.
- name: Plasma or urine metanephrines
  notes: >-
    Annual catecholamine metabolite surveillance is recommended because the
    PPGL phenotype is usually norepinephrine-predominant and recurrent.
- name: Somatostatin
  notes: >-
    Plasma somatostatin levels can support detection and follow-up of
    somatostatinoma, particularly in adults who have already developed PPGL.
diagnosis:
- name: Whole-body imaging surveillance
  diagnosis_term:
    preferred_term: clinical assessment
    term:
      id: MAXO:0000487
      label: clinical assessment
  description: >-
    Regular whole-body or abdominal imaging surveillance is recommended to
    localize recurrent or multifocal PPGL-spectrum tumors, with MRI preferred
    in children.
  results: Detection of recurrent or newly localized PPGL-spectrum lesions supports surveillance and management.
  evidence:
  - reference: PMID:27679736
    reference_title: "Novel insights into the polycythemia-paraganglioma-somatostatinoma syndrome."
    supports: SUPPORT
    evidence_source: HUMAN_CLINICAL
    snippet: >-
      perform regular (every 1–2 years) whole body or at least abdominal
      imaging, MRI in children;
    explanation: >-
      This directly supports regular imaging surveillance as part of diagnosis
      and longitudinal follow-up in Pacak-Zhuang syndrome.
- name: FDOPA PET/CT for PPGL localization
  diagnosis_term:
    preferred_term: positron emission tomography and computed tomography scan
    term:
      id: NCIT:C103512
      label: Positron Emission Tomography and Computed Tomography Scan
  description: >-
    For the pheochromocytoma/paraganglioma component of Pacak-Zhuang syndrome,
    FDOPA PET/CT is a high-yield localization study that can complement
    syndrome surveillance imaging.
  results: Improved localization of PCC/PGL lesions supports staging and management.
  evidence:
  - reference: DOI:10.1186/s13550-023-01056-4
    reference_title: "[18F]FDOPA PET/CT is superior to [68Ga]DOTATOC PET/CT in diagnostic imaging of pheochromocytoma"
    supports: SUPPORT
    evidence_source: HUMAN_CLINICAL
    snippet: >-
      FDOPA is superior to DOTATOC for localization of PCC. In contrast to
      DOTATOC, FDOPA also identified all PGL but with a limited number of
      patient cases.
    explanation: >-
      This directly supports FDOPA PET/CT as a strong localization study for
      the PCC/PGL tumor spectrum that defines the neuroendocrine component of
      Pacak-Zhuang syndrome.
- name: EPAS1/HIF2A mutation testing
  diagnosis_term:
    preferred_term: molecular genetic testing
    term:
      id: MAXO:0000127
      label: genetic testing
  description: >-
    Molecular testing for EPAS1/HIF2A should be considered in patients with
    congenital polycythemia or the characteristic tumor spectrum.
  results: Identification of a pathogenic mosaic EPAS1/HIF2A variant supports diagnosis.
  evidence:
  - reference: PMID:27679736
    reference_title: "Novel insights into the polycythemia-paraganglioma-somatostatinoma syndrome."
    supports: SUPPORT
    evidence_source: HUMAN_CLINICAL
    snippet: consider genetic testing for HIF2A mutations in congenital polycythemia;
    explanation: >-
      The cohort paper explicitly recommends HIF2A testing in the relevant
      clinical setting.
genetic:
- name: EPAS1
  association: Early postzygotic somatic mosaic gain-of-function mutation
  gene_term:
    preferred_term: EPAS1
    term:
      id: hgnc:3374
      label: EPAS1
  notes: >-
    EPAS1 encodes HIF-2alpha. Reported pathogenic variants affect the
    oxygen-sensing degradation region of HIF-2alpha, impair PHD/VHL-mediated
    turnover, and stabilize the transcription factor. Variants are typically
    somatic and mosaic rather than inherited through the germline.
  evidence:
  - reference: PMID:23509317
    reference_title: "New syndrome of paraganglioma and somatostatinoma associated with polycythemia."
    supports: SUPPORT
    evidence_source: HUMAN_CLINICAL
    snippet: >-
      Each patient carried an identical unique mutation in both types of tumors
      but not in germline DNA.
    explanation: >-
      Establishes that the causal HIF2A/EPAS1 variants are somatic rather than
      germline.
  - reference: PMID:37450881
    reference_title: "Pacak-Zhuang syndrome: a model providing new insights into tumor syndromes."
    supports: SUPPORT
    evidence_source: HUMAN_CLINICAL
    snippet: >-
      Herein, we review our initial identification of a new syndrome of multiple
      paragangliomas, somatostatinomas, and polycythemia caused by early
      postzygotic mosaic mutations in EPAS1
    explanation: >-
      Confirms EPAS1 as the established syndrome gene and frames the mosaic
      developmental timing as clinically important.
treatments:
- name: Surgical management
  description: >-
    Surgery remains the main treatment for localized PPGL and somatostatinoma
    lesions, but repeated interventions are often required because tumors are
    multifocal and recurrent.
  treatment_term:
    preferred_term: surgical procedure
    term:
      id: MAXO:0000004
      label: surgical procedure
  evidence:
  - reference: PMID:27679736
    reference_title: "Novel insights into the polycythemia-paraganglioma-somatostatinoma syndrome."
    supports: SUPPORT
    evidence_source: HUMAN_CLINICAL
    snippet: Current treatment options are exclusively surgical.
    explanation: >-
      Cohort follow-up describes surgery as the historical standard of care.
- name: Belzutifan
  description: >-
    Selective HIF-2alpha inhibition with belzutifan has produced a rapid and
    sustained response in an EPAS1-mosaic patient, improving tumor burden,
    hypertension, headaches, and long-standing polycythemia.
  treatment_term:
    preferred_term: Pharmacotherapy
    term:
      id: NCIT:C15986
      label: Pharmacotherapy
    therapeutic_agent:
    - preferred_term: belzutifan
      term:
        id: NCIT:C135627
        label: Belzutifan
  evidence:
  - reference: PMID:34818480
    reference_title: "Belzutifan, a Potent HIF2alpha Inhibitor, in the Pacak-Zhuang Syndrome."
    supports: SUPPORT
    evidence_source: HUMAN_CLINICAL
    snippet: >-
      Treatment with belzutifan led to a rapid and sustained tumor response
      along with resolution of hypertension, headaches, and long-standing
      polycythemia.
    explanation: >-
      Case report provides direct proof-of-mechanism that HIF-2alpha inhibition
      can reverse core disease manifestations.
📚

References & Deep Research

Deep Research

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Asta Literature Retrieval: Pathophysiology and clinical mechanisms of Pacak-Zhuang syndrome. Core disease mechanisms, molecular and cellular pat...
Asta Scientific Corpus Retrieval 19 citations 2026-04-16T12:22:30.304716

Asta Literature Retrieval: Pathophysiology and clinical mechanisms of Pacak-Zhuang syndrome. Core disease mechanisms, molecular and cellular pat...

This report is retrieval-only and is generated directly from Asta results.

  • Papers retrieved: 19
  • Snippets retrieved: 20

Relevant Papers

[1] Rare Monogenic Diseases: Molecular Pathophysiology and Novel Therapies

  • Authors: I. Condò
  • Year: 2022
  • Venue: International Journal of Molecular Sciences
  • URL: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/6aece75e6947f102b657851b74e8b96df5e654c1
  • DOI: 10.3390/ijms23126525
  • PMID: 35742964
  • PMCID: 9223693
  • Citations: 16
  • Influential citations: 2
  • Summary: A rare disease is defined by its low prevalence in the general population and its presence in a very small number of people.
  • Evidence snippets:
  • Snippet 1 (score: 0.409) > The selective expression or the particular role of specific genes in a single tissue explains the appearance of organ-specific inherited diseases. This is the case of genetic disorders of the kidney, which include dominant and recessive forms of cystic diseases, and renal tubulopathies. Mutations in polycystin-1 (PKD1) or -2 (PKD2) genes lead to autosomaldominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD), whose gender-dependent phenotype was analyzed in the study by Talbi et al. [9]. These results, obtained in mice lacking PKD1 expression, show the involvement of intracellular Ca2+ levels in the more severe phenotype affecting male ADPKD animals. Altogether, identification of the molecular mechanisms underlying enhanced Ca2+ signaling and proliferation in cells from male kidneys may contribute to develop novel therapeutics for ADPKD [9]. The autosomal-recessive form of polycystic kidney disease (ARPKD) mostly arises from defects in the gene named polycystic kidney and hepatic disease 1 (PKHD1), whereas a minority of cases is linked to a second causative gene DZIP1L. To examine the still unclear molecular pathophysiology of ARPKD, Cordido et al. recapitulate known molecular disease mechanisms and possible therapeutic approaches, from cellular and animal models to clinical trials [10]. The knowledge of ARPKD pathogenic pathways, involving the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) axis, the production of adenylyl cyclase adenosine 3 ,5 -cyclic monophosphate (cAMP) and the activation of several protein kinases, begins to stimulate possible pharmacological interventions [10]. Inherited loss of function in various electrolyte transport proteins located along the nephron leads to two types of kidney tubulopathy with overlapping clinical symptoms: Gitelman and Bartter syndromes. The review by Nuñez-Gonzalez et al. aims to explain the different molecular basis of these difficult to diagnose monogenic syndromes. Moreover, the authors provide an overview of current therapeutic approaches and highlight the presence of common and specific options for Gitelman and Bartter patients [11].

[2] Precision Therapeutics in Lennox–Gastaut Syndrome: Targeting Molecular Pathophysiology in a Developmental and Epileptic Encephalopathy

  • Authors: Debopam Samanta
  • Year: 2025
  • Venue: Children
  • URL: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/455479c1bfbea7b90b73c109228f67c813d13888
  • DOI: 10.3390/children12040481
  • PMID: 40310132
  • PMCID: 12025602
  • Citations: 19
  • Influential citations: 1
  • Summary: A narrative review explores precision therapeutic strategies for LGS based on molecular pathophysiology, including channelopathies, receptor and ligand dysfunction, receptor and ligand dysfunction, cell signaling abnormalities, cell signaling abnormalities, synaptopathies, and the repurposing of existing medications with mechanism-specific effects.
  • Evidence snippets:
  • Snippet 1 (score: 0.405) > Lennox–Gastaut syndrome (LGS) is a severe childhood-onset developmental and epileptic encephalopathy characterized by multiple drug-resistant seizure types, cognitive impairment, and distinctive electroencephalographic patterns. Current treatments primarily focus on symptom management through antiseizure medications (ASMs), dietary therapy, epilepsy surgery, and neuromodulation, but often fail to address the underlying pathophysiology or improve cognitive outcomes. As genetic causes are identified in 30–40% of LGS cases, precision therapeutics targeting specific molecular mechanisms are emerging as promising disease-modifying approaches. This narrative review explores precision therapeutic strategies for LGS based on molecular pathophysiology, including channelopathies (SCN2A, SCN8A, KCNQ2, KCNA2, KCNT1, CACNA1A), receptor and ligand dysfunction (GABA/glutamate systems), cell signaling abnormalities (mTOR pathway), synaptopathies (STXBP1, IQSEC2, DNM1), epigenetic dysregulation (CHD2), and CDKL5 deficiency disorder. Treatment modalities discussed include traditional ASMs, dietary therapy, targeted pharmacotherapy, antisense oligonucleotides, gene therapy, and the repurposing of existing medications with mechanism-specific effects. Early intervention with precision therapeutics may not only improve seizure control but could also potentially prevent progression to LGS in susceptible populations. Future directions include developing computable phenotypes for accurate diagnosis, refining molecular subgrouping, enhancing drug development, advancing gene-based therapies, personalizing neuromodulation, implementing adaptive clinical trial designs, and ensuring equitable access to precision therapeutic approaches. While significant challenges remain, integrating biological insights with innovative clinical strategies offers new hope for transforming LGS treatment from symptomatic management to targeted disease modification.
  • Snippet 2 (score: 0.370) > A key advantage of disease-modifying therapies is their potential to target pathogenic mechanisms early in the disease course, potentially preventing the progression of some infantile epileptic encephalopathies to LGS. > This narrative review explores precision therapeutic strategies based on specific monogenic causes and disease mechanisms relevant to LGS. A comprehensive literature search (PubMed, MEDLINE, ClinicalTrials.gov, conference abstracts from the American Academy of Neurology and American Epilepsy Society, and gray literature) was conducted through 19 February 2025 to identify established ASMs, repurposed and novel drugs, as well as various gene therapy approaches with potential relevance to LGS. Given that over 900 monogenic causes of DEEs have been identified-implicating diverse cellular components such as ion channels, receptors, synaptic proteins, signaling pathways, metabolic processes, and epigenetic regulators-this review discusses current and emerging precision therapeutics based on shared molecular mechanisms and the pathophysiology of select genes associated with LGS [17] (Table 1).

[3] Changes in Serum Proteomic Profiles at Different Stages of Pregnancy Toxemia in Goats

  • Authors: M. Uzti̇mür, C. N. Ünal, Gurler Akpinar
  • Year: 2025
  • Venue: Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine
  • URL: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/4b9c488b5dbd65d7b26fd2ad9aed70e8c4b59942
  • DOI: 10.1111/jvim.70139
  • PMID: 40492724
  • PMCID: 12150350
  • Summary: Understanding the serum proteome profiles of goats with pregnancy toxemia might help identify the proteomes and pathways responsible for the development of this disease and improve diagnosis and treatment.
  • Evidence snippets:
  • Snippet 1 (score: 0.392) > The pathophysiology and progression of this disease are not fully understood. > Traditional biomedical research has focused on the analysis of single genes, proteins, metabolites, or metabolic pathways in diseases. This molecular reductionist approach is based on the assumption that identifying genetic variations and molecular components will lead to new treatments for diseases [13][14][15][16]. However, many diseases are complex and multifactorial, and in order to determine the phenotype of such diseases, it is necessary to understand the changes that occur in more than one gene, pathway, protein, or metabolite at the cellular, tissue, and organismal levels [17][18][19]. Therefore, in recent years, proteomics, as one field of multi-omics technologies, has helped in evaluating the complex pathogenetic mechanisms of different diseases from a broad perspective and has made substantial contributions [20,21]. In veterinary medicine, proteomic analysis of metabolic diseases such as ketosis [16], hypocalcemia [22], and fatty liver [23] in dairy cows has contributed valuable insights for the definition of new pathophysiological pathways and new diagnosis and treatment protocols for these diseases. The proteomic approach can contribute importantly to a broad and detailed understanding of the changes that occur at the organismal level associated with the increase in BHBA concentration in goats with pregnancy toxemia. Our aim was to evaluate the serum protein profiles of goats with SPT or CPT using proteomic techniques to determine the proteomic profiles of these animals and to identify the relevant pathophysiological mechanisms.

[4] Novel Approaches to Studying SLC13A5 Disease

  • Authors: Adriana S. Beltran
  • Year: 2024
  • Venue: Metabolites
  • URL: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/8469c534cd81d96f84b61e2d963dead12088feb7
  • DOI: 10.3390/metabo14020084
  • PMID: 38392976
  • PMCID: 10890222
  • Citations: 2
  • Summary: Current technologies for generating patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and their inherent advantages and limitations are discussed, followed by a summary of the methods for differentiating iPSCs into neurons, hepatocytes, and organoids.
  • Evidence snippets:
  • Snippet 1 (score: 0.392) > The precise pathophysiology underlying how SLC13A5 loss-of-function results in epilepsy refractory to treatment is a subject of open and ongoing research. Several hypotheses suggest SLC13A5 alters metabolic pathways, leading to neuronal dysfunction. Conversely, therapeutic inhibition of NaCT in the liver is a target to improve metabolic diseases, including non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, obesity, and insulin resistance. Thus, functionally accurate modeling and characterization of the mechanisms involved in citrate transport disruption are critical for understanding its role in human disease. > IPSC-derived cellular systems are a powerful tool for modeling rare human genetic diseases, such as SLC13A5 (Figure 5). IPSCs derived from patients containing the genetic information of the disease can overcome the limitations of animal models, providing access to relevant human cell types that recapitulate the disease phenotype. For instance, patient-derived iPSCs differentiated into neurons or hepatocytes can be used to investigate molecular and cellular mechanisms, including citrate transport and accumulation, energy metabolism, oxidative stress, and other cellular processes. They can also be used to define the spectrum of the disease and how different mutations might lead to various disease severities, screen for potential therapeutic compounds that can restore the transporter function or ameliorate the symptoms, and enable personalized medicine approaches that can tailor treatments to individual patients based on their genetic background and disease severity. > transport disruption are critical for understanding its role in human disease. > IPSC-derived cellular systems are a powerful tool for modeling rare human genetic diseases, such as SLC13A5 (Figure 5). IPSCs derived from patients containing the genetic information of the disease can overcome the limitations of animal models, providing access to relevant human cell types that recapitulate the disease phenotype. For instance, patient-derived iPSCs differentiated into neurons or hepatocytes can be used to investigate molecular and cellular mechanisms, including citrate transport and accumulation, energy metabolism, oxidative stress, and other cellular processes.

[5] Computational drug discovery approaches identify mebendazole as a candidate treatment for autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease

  • Authors: P. Brownjohn, A. Zoufir, Daniel J O’Donovan, Saatviga Sudhahar, A. Syme et al.
  • Year: 2024
  • Venue: Frontiers in Pharmacology
  • URL: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/a595e78572ca02b8cb2897bfc4a989a2b021b279
  • DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2024.1397864
  • PMID: 38846086
  • PMCID: 11154008
  • Citations: 3
  • Summary: It is determined that the anthelmintic mebendazole was a potent anti-cystic agent in human cellular and in vivo models of ADPKD, and is likely acting through the inhibition of microtubule polymerisation and protein kinase activity.
  • Evidence snippets:
  • Snippet 1 (score: 0.390) > Targets and molecules were ultimately filtered for validation based on biological and chemical insights, and the potential for clinical translation.Earlier this year, Wilk et al., 2023 applied a similar transcriptomic approach to us, in that case making use of publicly available transcriptomic datasets to create Pkd2-specific ADPKD disease signatures, from which signature reversion was sought from the Library of Integrated Network-based Cellular Signatures (LINCs) drug signature database in order to identify drug repurposing candidates.While one group has previously made use of a knowledge graph-based approach to prioritise preclinically active compounds with the highest chance of clinical translation (Malas et al., 2019), to our knowledge, the current study provides the first combined application of transcriptomic and machine-learning approaches to identify and prioritise putative treatments for ADPKD, and further deconvolute potential mechanisms of action for experimental validation. > In summary we report, using computational, in vitro and in vivo approaches, that the anthelmintic drug mebendazole ameliorates disease-relevant phenotypes in cellular and animal models of ADPKD.We further show that this effect is likely primarily due to the inhibitory effect of mebendazole on the polymerisation of microtubules, which underlie cellular processes important in ADPKD, including cell proliferation, transport, and cilia signalling, and extends previous work linking the importance of the microtubule network to ADPKD pathophysiology.We also describe the inhibitory profile of mebendazole on known and novel protein kinase targets, some of which have previously been implicated in ADPKD, suggesting mebendazole may be acting via polypharmacology to impact disease mechanisms.We acknowledge that further experimental efforts will be required to confirm the actions of mebendazole on these putative targets in relevant disease model systems.It would be particularly informative to investigate these mechanisms in dedicated in vivo studies, where the effects of mebendazole on a wider range of ADPKD-relevant cell types and phenotypes could be evaluated.

[6] Cardiomyocytes Derived from Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells as a Disease Model for Propionic Acidemia

  • Authors: Esmeralda Alonso-Barroso, B. Pérez, L. Desviat, E. Richard
  • Year: 2021
  • Venue: International Journal of Molecular Sciences
  • URL: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/da649a0f04477c53b448c5ac5f873f8762235290
  • DOI: 10.3390/ijms22031161
  • PMID: 33503868
  • PMCID: 7865492
  • Citations: 16
  • Influential citations: 1
  • Summary: The novel results show that PA iPSC-cardiomyocytes represent a promising model for investigating the pathological mechanisms underlying PA cardiomyopathies, also serving as an ex vivo platform for therapeutic evaluation.
  • Evidence snippets:
  • Snippet 1 (score: 0.385) > The study of the mechanisms involved in disease physiopathology has been mainly performed using the hypomorphic PA mouse model that mimics the biochemical and clinical phenotype [5]. Using this model, bioenergetic failure, oxidative damage and deregulation of miRNAs induced by accumulating propionyl-CoA have been described as potential mechanisms contributing to PA physiopathology [6][7][8]. The limitations of animal models for the study of cardiac energy metabolism [9] and of the commonly available cellular human models such as fibroblasts, underline the importance of generating new relevant cell models to provide deeper insight into the underlying mechanisms of disease. The use of in vitro models with human cellular context is highly recommended and, in this sense, induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) have certain advantages since they provide the genetic background of the patient and represent an unlimited source of biological material for the study of pathophysiology and treatment effectiveness [10]. We have previously generated an iPSC line from a PA patient with defects in the PCCA gene that showed full pluripotency, differentiation capacity and genetic stability [11]. > In the present study, we aimed to establish a platform that served as a disease model to study the cellular and molecular alterations operating in cardiac tissue affected by PA disease. We described the characterization of cardiomyocytes derived from the PCCA iPSC line (PCCA iPSC-CMs) and the analysis of specific pathways potentially involved in cardiac PA physiopathology.

[7] Targeting Hepatic Stellate Cells for the Prevention and Treatment of Liver Cirrhosis and Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Strategies and Clinical Translation

  • Authors: Hao Xiong, Jinsheng Guo
  • Year: 2025
  • Venue: Pharmaceuticals
  • URL: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/76e92127053136900f7e3f10e2c9278251ced5d2
  • DOI: 10.3390/ph18040507
  • PMID: 40283943
  • PMCID: 12030350
  • Citations: 8
  • Summary: HSC-targeted approaches using specific surface markers and receptors may enable the selective delivery of drugs, oligonucleotides, and therapeutic peptides that exert optimized anti-fibrotic and anti-HCC effects.
  • Evidence snippets:
  • Snippet 1 (score: 0.383) > Significant progress has been made in elucidating the cellular and molecular mechanisms of liver fibrosis; however, only a few findings have been successfully translated into clinical applications. Firstly, the high cost of drug development and target validation necessitates prolonged timelines and substantial financial investment. Secondly, as regulatory requirements become more stringent, there is an increasing demand for drugs with well-defined clinical efficacy and safety profiles. Moreover, the efficacy observed in animal models often fails to fully translate to clinical settings due to differences in pharmacokinetics, extracellular matrix (ECM) cross-linking, and disease pathophysiology. Despite advancements in anti-fibrotic drug development, accurately identifying ideal noninvasive biomarkers for fibrotic activity and establishing consensus on optimal clinical endpoints remain significant challenges [113,114]. > Currently, addressing the underlying cause remains the only proven strategy to halt or reverse liver fibrosis progression, while the development of effective anti-fibrotic therapies continues to pose a major challenge in liver disease management. Over the past few decades, substantial progress has been made in elucidating the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying liver fibrosis. Liver fibrosis is a complex pathological change involving multiple cells, factors, and pathways, and the study of the cellular and molecular mechanisms of its occurrence and development provides an important theoretical basis and therapeutic target for clinical drug development. It is anticipated that improved animal models and well-designed clinical trials will facilitate the successful translation of anti-fibrotic research into effective clinical treatments in the near future.

[8] 18O-assisted dynamic metabolomics for individualized diagnostics and treatment of human diseases

  • Authors: E. Nemutlu, Song Zhang, N. Juranic, A. Terzic, S. Macura et al.
  • Year: 2012
  • Venue: Croatian Medical Journal
  • URL: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/880f053c7f060db4b990e447d0a22c4b69372ddb
  • DOI: 10.3325/cmj.2012.53.529
  • PMID: 23275318
  • PMCID: 3541579
  • Citations: 28
  • Summary: The potential use of dynamic phosphometabolomic platform for disease diagnostics currently under development at Mayo Clinic is described and discussed briefly.
  • Evidence snippets:
  • Snippet 1 (score: 0.382) > Living cells represent an integrated and interacting network of genes, transcripts, proteins, small signaling molecules, and metabolites that define cellular phenotype and function. Traditionally the focus of biomedical research was on individual genes, single protein targets, single metabolites, and metabolic or signaling pathways. This "molecular reductionist" paradigm was based on the assumption that identifying genetic variations and molecular components would lead to discovery of cures for human diseases. However, most of diseases are complex and multi-factorial and the disease phenotype is determined by the alterations of multiple genes, pathways, proteins and metabolites (at cellular, tissue, and organismal levels). Therefore, an integrated "omics" approach is more viable direction for uncovering alterations in metabolic networks, disease mechanisms, and mechanisms of drug effects. > Recent advent of large-scale metabolomics and fluxomic (metabolite dynamics and metabolic flux analysis) completed the "omics revolution" (Figure 1), where genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and fluxomics all together complement phenotype determination of living organism. Such integrated "omics" cascades provide a framework for advances in system and network biology, integrative physiology, and system medicine as well as system pharmacology and regenerative medicine. Noteworthy is the "reverse omic" approach or "metabolomicsinformed pharmacogenomics, " where discovery of specific metabolite changes have led to discovery of genetic alterations (2). Therefore, bringing new "omics" technologies to clinical practice will improve disease diagnostics and treatment by targeting drugs and procedures for each unique transcriptomic and metabolomic profiles.

[9] Modeling psychiatric disorders: from genomic findings to cellular phenotypes

  • Authors: Anna Falk, Vivi M. Heine, A. Harwood, Patrick F. Sullivan, M. Peitz et al.
  • Year: 2016
  • Venue: Molecular Psychiatry
  • URL: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/235b41240d78140de7ab06a3ad8a7d0b1bdff1a5
  • DOI: 10.1038/mp.2016.89
  • PMID: 27240529
  • PMCID: 4995546
  • Citations: 77
  • Influential citations: 2
  • Summary: The challenges for modeling of psychiatric disorders, potential solutions and how iPSC technology can be used to develop an analytical framework for the evaluation and therapeutic manipulation of fundamental disease processes are critically reviewed.
  • Evidence snippets:
  • Snippet 1 (score: 0.378) > The key challenge for iPSC-based disease modeling is to identify one or more relevant cellular phenotypes that accurately represent the disease pathophysiology. Increasing numbers of reports have demonstrated that for many diseases specific pathophysiology can be captured in human iPSC-based disease models. These range from cardiovascular disease, 44,45 cancer, 46,47 ocular disease, 48,49 diabetes mellitus 50,51 and neurological disorders of the brain. 52,53 Can the same approach be applied to complex psychiatric disorders? > The problem is that almost all psychiatric disorders are characterized by clinical signs and symptoms, but lack independent verification from objective biomarkers. Thus, how might these clinical phenotypes manifest themselves in terms of cell behavior? The identity of robust cellular 'readouts', which typify any psychiatric disorder, is a crucial unsolved problem and an area of intense study 54 (Table 2). When satisfactorily answered, this will herald a new degree of biological objectivity and quantification for the study of psychiatric disorders. > The aim is to find a single or small number of cell phenotypes or parameters that strongly associate with psychiatric disorders, and establish a cellular profile characteristic of cells derived from the general patient population. Although a consensus set of cellular phenotypes for psychiatric disorder is yet to be established, we can define some of their desired characteristics. First, cellular phenotypes have to relate to the biological pathways identified by genetics. Second, although there are many risk genes in disparate biological pathways, at some level, phenotypes should converge onto a much smaller grouping. Third, phenotypes need to be quantifiable. Finally, to be useful for drug development cellular phenotypes should be reversed by pharmacological treatment, although not necessarily by drugs in current use. > Although human iPSC-based approaches underrepresent the complexity of the human central nervous system, cellular phenotypes are likely to lie more proximal to molecular disease mechanisms than phenotypes seen at the level of a tissue or organism, 55 and thus may bypass compensatory homeostatic (2) Gene expression profiles of SCZ human iPSC neurons identified altered expression of many components of the cyclic AMP and WNT signaling pathways. > (3

[10] Clinical features and genetic analysis of a family with t(5;9) (p15;p24) balanced translocation leading to Cri-du-chat syndrome in offspring

  • Authors: Jing Zhao, Ping Chen, Yijia Ren, Shurong Li, Weiyi Zhang et al.
  • Year: 2025
  • Venue: Frontiers in Genetics
  • URL: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/5caf88001c66b473b6565f9e75eb6a4f1a8c4a0a
  • DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2025.1550937
  • PMID: 40406061
  • PMCID: 12094932
  • Citations: 1
  • Summary: This study reports a rare familial balanced translocation pedigree, particularly noting that the offspring can suffer from Cri-du-chat syndrome, which suggests a potential new genetic model for this syndrome.
  • Evidence snippets:
  • Snippet 1 (score: 0.377) > Using the Metascape database for GO enrichment analysis of the region containing 60 OMIM genes from 5p15.33p14.1 revealed the potential molecular mechanisms of the disease. The results showed that OMIM genes in the 5p15.33p14.1 region are mainly enriched in Na+/Cl-dependent neurotransmitter transporters, cell-cell adhesion mediated by cadherin, nephron epithelium development, and other signaling pathways (Figure 5A). Disease enrichment analysis showed that genes in this region are mainly associated with Cri-du-chat syndrome (Figure 5B) . Cri-du-chat syndrome is closely related to developmental abnormalities, neurological defects, and craniofacial malformations. Enrichment analysis supports the involvement of molecular mechanisms related to Wnt signaling, neurotransmitter transport, ubiquitination pathways, particularly through diseasegene associations from DisGeNET and GO functional enrichment. These results provide clues for revealing the molecular network of the disease and guide future research. > Using the Metascape database, GO enrichment analysis of 45 OMIM genes located in the 9p24.3-p22.3 region was performed. The results showed that OMIM genes in the 9p24.3-p22.3 region are mainly enriched in signaling pathways such as positive regulation of leukocyte activation, response to amine, cell population proliferation, positive regulation of cell development, etc. (Figure 5C). Disease enrichment analysis revealed that genes in this region are mainly associated with Chromosome 9p deletion syndrome (Figure 5D). This study, through multidimensional bioinformatics analysis, not only clarified the core biological functions of genes in the 9p24.3-p22.3 region, but also revealed their potential association mechanisms with major diseases, providing important theoretical basis and directional guidance for subsequent gene function validation, molecular mechanism research, and clinical translation. Balanced translocation carriers have the opportunity to produce phenotypically normal offspring, but they are at a higher risk of recurrent miscarriages and offspring with chromosomal abnormalities.

[11] Chemotherapy and Mechanisms of Resistance in Breast Cancer

  • Authors: A. Oliveira, R. E. Santos, F. F. O. Rodrigues
  • Year: 2012
  • Venue: Unknown venue
  • URL: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/502a86d8bcd7208be6f539fcceba631f82f25a7d
  • DOI: 10.5772/24629
  • Summary: The addition of adjuvant polychemotherapy in advanced breast cancer showed gain by controlling survival of micrometastases in patients with lymph nodes affected by cancer or not.
  • Evidence snippets:
  • Snippet 1 (score: 0.374) > The main reasons responsible for treatment failure in cancer patients are the mechanisms of drug resistance and emergence of disseminated disease (Terek et al, 2003). We identified two types of resistance most relevant to BC: primary resistance, which corresponds to the clinical situation where the patient showed no response to therapy, and secondary or acquired resistance in which, initially, there is an observed response and a subsequent failure of the treatment regimen (Kroger et al, 1999). Several mechanisms may cause the phenotype of multidrug resistance to chemotherapy drugs and are well characterized in in vitro experiments, including alterations in systemic pharmacology (pharmacokinetics and metabolism), extracellular mechanisms (tumor environment, multicellular drug resistance), and cellular mechanisms (cellular pharmacology, activation and inactivation of drugs, modification of specific targets and regulatory pathways of apoptosis) (Leonessa et al, 2003, Riddick et al, 2005. Identification of factors that affect cell metabolism, which are related to drug resistance, will enable the identification of which patients are at particular risk of treatment failure. Among the biochemical and molecular mechanisms of drug resistance, we stress: changes in the activity of topoisomerase II, alterations in the DNA repair mechanism, overexpression of P-glycoprotein; high intracellular concentrations of enzymes purification of cellular metabolism -among them enzymes the family of glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) and changes in the mechanisms of signaling via c-Jun N-terminal kinase 1 (JNK1) -and "apoptosis signal-regulating kinase (ASK1) required for activation of the" mitogenactivated protein (MAP kinases) in apoptosis and cellular restoration. These pathways are also mediated by proteins encoded by genes of GSTs (O'Brien, Tew, 1996;Burg, Mulder, 2002, L'Ecuyer et al, 2004). Different response rates to particular chemotherapy regimens, as observed in patient groups with the same biological characteristics and stage, suggest the existence of different mechanisms of drug resistance, probably induced by genetic alterations (Hayes, Pulford, 1995;O'Brien , Tew, 1996;Pakunlu et al, 2003). Among the mechanisms of purification of cellular metabolism involved in the

[12] From molecular signatures to predictive biomarkers: modeling disease pathophysiology and drug mechanism of action

  • Authors: A. Heinzel, P. Perco, G. Mayer, R. Oberbauer, A. Lukas et al.
  • Year: 2014
  • Venue: Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology
  • URL: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/36d6c03a528c1358c0ae5b667cca5ce73b2fbee5
  • DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2014.00037
  • PMID: 25364744
  • PMCID: 4207010
  • Citations: 23
  • Summary: This work exemplifies a computational workflow for expanding from statistics-based association analysis toward deriving molecular pathway and process models for characterizing phenotypes and drug mechanism of action, in turn providing precision medicine hypotheses utilizing predictive biomarkers.
  • Evidence snippets:
  • Snippet 1 (score: 0.372) > In such scenario a biomarker needs to serve as proxy of key mechanistic factors characterizing and driving a disease on a patient-specific level, combined with educating on the specific interference of disease mechanism with drug mechanism of action. For capturing these constraints a detailed molecular map of a clinical phenotype and its interference with a drug mechanism of action is needed, and here integration of Omics profiling adds to identifying such mechanisms (Fechete et al., 2011;Mühlberger et al., 2012). > An a priori stratification of patients based on an appropriately chosen biomarker panel reflecting the pathophysiology of a given patient (group) allowing to determine a match with a specific drug's mechanism of action appears as promising approach. As recently discussed by Himmelfarb et al. fresh approaches are critical in finding therapies to kidney disease benefiting patients, outlining the importance of improving the translational aspect in clinical research (Himmelfarb and Tuttle, 2013). Here, omics technologies have added significantly to the data landscape characterizing chronic kidney disease, however, in a first instance mainly expanding the candidate set of apparently relevant processes and pathways, going in hand with a large number of biomarker candidates, which individually hamper clinically relevant assessment on disease progression (Fechete et al., 2011;Hellemons et al., 2012). > Integrative approaches in the realm of Systems Biology have been proposed for reaching a consensus description of chronic kidney disease pathophysiology, including molecular models of DN as well as of the reno-cardial axis (He et al., 2012;Komorowsky et al., 2012;Mayer et al., 2012;Heinzel et al., 2013). Still, a translation process needs to be followed, joining disease pathophysiology, stratification markers allowing enrichment strategies, combined with on a molecular mechanistic level matching drugs for allowing precision medicine (Mirnezami et al., 2012). In this work we exemplify such procedure on DN being the major clinical presentation leading to end stage renal disease.

[13] Therapies for Mitochondrial Disease: Past, Present, and Future

  • Authors: Megan Ball, Nicole J. Van Bergen, A. Compton, David R Thorburn, S. Rahman et al.
  • Year: 2025
  • Venue: Journal of Inherited Metabolic Disease
  • URL: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/196ee50a950f29bc4134cfb8fe6bdfa9a3a1468b
  • DOI: 10.1002/jimd.70065
  • PMID: 40714961
  • PMCID: 12301291
  • Citations: 3
  • Summary: The latest developments in the pursuit to identify effective treatments for mitochondrial disease are examined and the barriers impeding their success in translation to clinical practice are discussed.
  • Evidence snippets:
  • Snippet 1 (score: 0.371) > Mitochondrial disease is a diverse group of clinically and genetically complex disorders caused by pathogenic variants in nuclear or mitochondrial DNA‐encoded genes that disrupt mitochondrial energy production or other important mitochondrial pathways. Mitochondrial disease can present with a wide spectrum of clinical features and can often be difficult to recognize. These conditions can be devastating; however, for the majority, there is no targeted treatment. In the last 60 years, mitochondrial medicine has experienced significant evolution, moving from the pre‐molecular era to the Age of Genomics in which considerable gene discovery and advancement in our understanding of the pathophysiology of mitochondrial disease have been made. In the last decade, in response to the urgent need for effective treatments, a wide range of emerging therapies have been developed, driven by innovative approaches addressing both the genetic and cellular mechanisms underpinning the diseases. Emerging therapies include dietary intervention, small molecule therapies aimed to restore mitochondrial function, stem cell or liver transplantation, and gene or RNA‐based therapies. However, despite these advances, translation to clinical practice is complicated by the sheer genetic and clinical complexity of mitochondrial disease, difficulty in efficient and precise delivery of therapies to affected tissues, rarity of individual genetic conditions, lack of reliable biomarkers and clinically relevant outcome measures, and the dearth of natural history data. This review examines the latest developments in the pursuit to identify effective treatments for mitochondrial disease and discusses the barriers impeding their success in translation to clinical practice. While treatment for mitochondrial disease may be on the horizon, many challenges must be addressed before it can become a reality.

[14] Transcriptional profiling of Hutchinson-Gilford progeria patients identifies primary target pathways of progerin

  • Authors: Sandra Vidak, Sohyoung Kim, Tom Misteli
  • Year: 2026
  • Venue: Nucleus
  • URL: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/4bd99b0875508364d8672b6da5a50d024d485a53
  • DOI: 10.1080/19491034.2025.2611484
  • PMID: 41489464
  • PMCID: 12773485
  • Summary: To probe the clinical relevance of previously implicated cellular pathways and to address the extent of gene expression heterogeneity between patients, transcriptomic analysis of a comprehensive set of HGPS patients finds misexpression of several cellular pathways, including multiple signaling pathways, the UPR and mesodermal cell fate specification.
  • Evidence snippets:
  • Snippet 1 (score: 0.370) > Oxidative stress represents another key pathogenic mechanism in HGPS, as impaired NRF2 activity or increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels are sufficient to recapitulate HGPSassociated phenotypes [17,32,60]. Collectively, these findings underscore the multifactorial nature of HGPS pathogenesis, implicating interconnected signaling cascades involved in inflammation, oxidative stress, proteostasis, and vascular remodeling. Reassuringly, our findings indicate that many of the major pathways that have been described to contribute to HGPS phenotypes in mouse and cellular disease models are also misregulated in progeria patients, and targeting these pathways may provide therapeutic avenues to mitigate disease severity and improve outcomes in HGPS. > Although individuals with HGPS typically exhibit a characteristic set of clinical features, such as craniofacial abnormalities, growth retardation, and cardiovascular complications, there is notable variability in the age of onset, severity, and progression of symptoms between patients [7,9]. At the cellular level, HGPS is associated with several hallmark abnormalities, including nuclear envelope defects, decreased expression of several nuclear proteins and epigenetic marks, mitochondrial dysfunction, and increased cellular senescence [1,11,30,31,61]. These cellular phenotypes also exhibit considerable variation between patients, possibly contributing to differences in clinical outcomes. Our results indicate that even though some degree of transcriptional heterogeneity between the individual patients exists, the majority of patients exhibit misregulation of a set of shared pathways, suggesting that these pathways are universal driver mechanisms in HGPS. Further work is needed to understand the molecular and genetic factors that underlie inter-individual variability in disease expression and progression. > A limitation of pathway analysis of HGPS patient samples is to distinguish the pathways which are directly targeted by the disease-causing progerin protein and the emergence of adaptive secondary response pathways during progression of the disease in patients during their lifetime. The same caveat applies to the use of cell-based models used in the study of HGPS disease mechanisms.

[15] Novel variants in KAT6B spectrum of disorders expand our knowledge of clinical manifestations and molecular mechanisms

  • Authors: M. Yabumoto, Jessica Kianmahd, Meghna Singh, Maria F. Palafox, Angela Wei et al.
  • Year: 2021
  • Venue: Molecular Genetics & Genomic Medicine
  • URL: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/3a47a1b1208ba7420900b090d3d7d712ed391719
  • DOI: 10.1002/mgg3.1809
  • PMID: 34519438
  • PMCID: 8580094
  • Citations: 12
  • Influential citations: 2
  • Summary: A range of features previously described for KAT6B‐related syndromes are identified, including concern for keratoconus, sensitivity to light or noise, recurring infections, and fractures in greater numbers than previously reported.
  • Evidence snippets:
  • Snippet 1 (score: 0.369) > Finally, as gene-centric models of disease have started to take hold, understanding the underlying functional mechanisms that are affected can help us elucidate the effect on molecular and cellular phenotypes that are regulated by KAT6B (Klein et al., 2019;Sheikh et al., 2012). We developed a model of KAT6B truncating variants in a human cell line to explore how these variants result in differential regulation of key transcripts. These types of approaches have been performed in a high throughput manner for tumor suppressor genes like BRCA1 (Findlay et al., 2018) and TP53 (Kotler et al., 2018) and can help identify key pathways that are dysregulated by KAT6B-related disorders and could be future targets for translational research. > Here, we analyze 20 clinical cases representing a KAT6B-related clinical spectrum across three domains: their genotype, phenotype, and experience with genetic counseling resources. Furthermore, we developed an in vitro model of KAT6B mutations using CRISPR technology to explore the effect of protein truncation on global transcriptional regulation. Here we demonstrate that the genes that drive core clinical phenotypes are enriched in our in vitro model system. Together, we show that our clinical observations parallel the transcriptional processes in our cell model systems which allow for a further understanding of the mechanisms underlying the KAT6Brelated clinical spectrum.

[16] Investigating the role of NPR1 in dilated cardiomyopathy and its potential as a therapeutic target for glucocorticoid therapy

  • Authors: Yaomeng Huang, Tongxin Li, Shichao Gao, Shuyu Li, Xiaoran Zhu et al.
  • Year: 2023
  • Venue: Frontiers in Pharmacology
  • URL: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/be229f6f2059faab4c97ec0a04bd055adab9dfe1
  • DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2023.1290253
  • PMID: 38026943
  • PMCID: 10662320
  • Citations: 3
  • Summary: Natriuretic peptide receptor 1 (NPR1) was identified as a core gene associated with DCM through bioinformatics analysis and led to substantial improvements in cardiac and renal function, accompanied by an upregulation of NPR1 expression.
  • Evidence snippets:
  • Snippet 1 (score: 0.369) > Multiple pathways and molecules are involved in this process; however, the detailed underlying mechanisms remain unclear. In recent years, with the development of high-throughput sequencing and gene chip technologies, the use of bioinformatics technology to explore the occurrence, development, and prognosis of diseases has become a hot topic for scholars worldwide (Hwang et al., 2018;Nayor et al., 2019;Rinschen et al., 2019;Sturm et al., 2019;Montaner et al., 2020). > The present study aimed to use bioinformatics technology to screen for DCM-related genes and investigate their mechanisms, with the purpose of revealing the pathogenesis of DCM and seeking treatment methods. The GSE3586 dataset, containing expression profiles related to DCM, was selected from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. This study aimed to predict the core genes that may play crucial roles in disease progression at the molecular level through the enrichment of relevant molecular pathways associated with DCM. Furthermore, the phenotype of the core genes was validated to further support the results of the bioinformatics analysis through basic and clinical experiments. Additionally, the role of glucocorticoids in DCM treatment is discussed in this article with the purpose of providing a theoretical and experimental basis for exploring the pathogenesis of DCM and elucidating therapeutic methods. This study also provides a theoretical reference for the interpretation, early diagnosis, and treatment of DCM.

[17] Lactate metabolism and lactylation in kidney diseases: insights into mechanisms and therapeutic opportunities

  • Authors: Yuhua Cheng, Linjuan Guo
  • Year: 2025
  • Venue: Renal Failure
  • URL: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/6208b88884af543f7c97d2e70ed6b727dcfb4f58
  • DOI: 10.1080/0886022X.2025.2469746
  • PMID: 40012230
  • PMCID: 11869332
  • Citations: 11
  • Summary: A review examines the role of lactate esters, especially lactylation, in kidney diseases, with a focus on their regulatory mechanisms and potential as therapeutic targets.
  • Evidence snippets:
  • Snippet 1 (score: 0.363) > Lactate metabolism and its post-translational modifications, particularly lactylation, play critical roles in the pathophysiology of various kidney diseases, including AKI, DKD, and ccRCC (Figure 1). The kidney's ability to metabolize lactate is crucial for maintaining renal function under normal conditions. However, in pathological states, impaired lactate metabolism leads to its accumulation, exacerbating renal dysfunction and disease progression. For more details on lactate metabolism and kidney diseases, refer to previous reviews [2,3,25]. > Lactylation influences gene transcription, protein function, and cellular metabolism, contributing to inflammatory responses, mitochondrial dysfunction, and tumor progression. > Understanding the mechanisms of lactate metabolism and lactylation in kidney diseases opens new avenues for therapeutic interventions. Targeting these metabolic pathways could mitigate renal injury and improve patient outcomes. Future research should focus on elucidating the specific pathways and molecular targets affected by lactate and lactylation and developing inhibitors to modulate these processes. Clinical trials are necessary to validate the efficacy and safety of these therapies. Overall, the lactate-lactylation axis is a promising target for novel therapeutic strategies aimed at treating kidney diseases and improving renal health.

[18] Recent advances in modelling of cerebellar ataxia using induced pluripotent stem cells

  • Authors: M. M. Wong, L. Watson, Esther B. E. Becker
  • Year: 2017
  • Venue: Journal of neurology & neuromedicine
  • URL: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/0d962652305116e383ab260b9e82d3a5ffe1722f
  • DOI: 10.29245/2572.942X/2017/7.1134
  • PMID: 28825058
  • PMCID: 5558869
  • Citations: 9
  • Summary: This review focuses on recent breakthroughs in generating human iPSC-derived Purkinje cells and highlights the future challenges that will need to be addressed in order to fully exploit these models for the modelling of the molecular mechanisms underlying cerebellar ataxias and the development of effective therapeutics.
  • Evidence snippets:
  • Snippet 1 (score: 0.363) > dominant polyglutamine spinocerebellar ataxias (SCAs) are the most studied forms of ataxias. Despite significant clinical and genetic heterogeneity, emerging evidence points to the existence of common pathogenic mechanisms that may be shared by several genetically distinct forms of cerebellar ataxias (reviewed in5-8). However, it is still unclear how the proposed pathological pathways ultimately result in cerebellar dysfunction and degeneration, predominantly affecting Purkinje cells. > Understanding disease mechanisms is key to treating neurodegenerative disorders. The heterogeneous nature of the cerebellar ataxias combined with the unavailability of human brain tissue and the lack of reliable disease models have, however, hampered our understanding of the molecular disease mechanisms underlying cerebellar ataxias and thus, the development of effective therapies. Although mouse models of several cerebellar ataxias, including FRDA and SCAs, have provided valuable insights into the pathophysiology of these disorders (reviewed in9), many questions remain about the observed species differences in disease phenotypes and the effectiveness of potential drugs in clinical trials. > To help translate research from animal models into novel treatments for ataxia patients, it is essential to validate findings in the relevant affected human cell types, particularly in cerebellar Purkinje cells. The current obstacles might be overcome by exploiting recently developed human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology and neuronal differentiation protocols.

[19] Clinical metabolomics in type 2 diabetes mellitus: from pathogenesis to biomarkers

  • Authors: Chuanxin Liu, Hetao Chen, Yujin Ma, Lei Zhang, Lulu Chen et al.
  • Year: 2025
  • Venue: Frontiers in Endocrinology
  • URL: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/36f8d26a208b7b96763df2e9aa3211e440031c0e
  • DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2025.1501305
  • PMID: 40070584
  • PMCID: 11893406
  • Citations: 11
  • Summary: The results facilitate understanding the pathophysiology and mechanism of type 2 diabetes mellitus and supports research in accurate diagnosis, risk prediction, curative effect, distinct stages, and prognosis judgment of T2DM.
  • Evidence snippets:
  • Snippet 1 (score: 0.362) > The metabolome is sensitive to a variety of genetic and environmental stimuli and susceptible to genetic, environmental, and gut microbiome pressures, so subtle differences between individuals can lead to large perturbations in metabolite concentrations and fluxes (15, 24). At present, cystatin C has become an ideal endogenous marker for evaluating glomerular filtration function because it is not affected by sex, age or muscle mass (25). In addition, more and more evidence shows that serum CysC is involved in the pathological process of vascular remodeling and neovascularization, which is closely related to the occurrence and development of diabetic microangiopathy (26). > Eighty-four papers were included in this review and obtained through database searches, namely, PubMed, Cochrane Library, China national knowledge internet(CNKI), General Purpose, and VIP Database. The keywords for the searches were "metabolomics" and "type 2 diabetes mellitus" and its complications. The papers were incorporated by reading and summarizing the literature according to the classification standards (27). The profound analysis of clinical differential metabolites identified in type 2 diabetes and its complications were conducted concerning composition, frequency of category, sample type, and pathways to explore the pathological mechanism of type 2 diabetes and its complications to provide a systematic basis for clinical diagnosis, risk stratification, comprehending disease progression, prognosis assessment, and drug efficacy. Our goal is to apply metabolomics to clinical diagnostic biomarkers, metabolic mechanisms, and prognostic observations, and early diagnosis can be made through metabolites to avoid progression to more serious complications.

Notes

  • This provider combines search_papers_by_relevance with snippet_search.
  • No synthesis or second-stage model call is performed.