Overview:

RET or ret proto-oncogene is a member of the cadherin superfamily that encodes one of the receptor tyrosine kinases, which are cell-surface molecules that transduce signals for cell growth and differentiation. RET can undergo oncogenic activation in vivo and in vitro by cytogenetic rearrangement (1). Mutations in the RET gene are associated with the disorders multiple endocrine neoplasia, type IIA, multiple endocrine neoplasia, type IIB, Hirschsprung disease, and medullary thyroid carcinoma. RET signaling pathway, by regulating the development of both the nervous and lymphoid system in the gut, plays a key role in the molecular mechanisms that orchestrate intestine organogenesis (2).

Gene Aliases:

PTC, RET51, CDHF12, CDHR16, RET-ELE1, MTC1, HSCR1, MEN2A, MEN2B

Genbank Number:

NM_020630

References:

1. Grieco, M. et.al: PTC is a novel rearranged form of the ret proto-oncogene and is frequently detected in vivo in human thyroid papillary carcinomas. Cell 60: 557-563, 1990.

2. Veiga-Fernandes, H. et.al: Tyrosine kinase receptors RET is a key regulator of Peyer's patch organogenesis. Nature 446: 547-551, 2007.