The Emerging Role of Succinate Dehyrogenase Genes (SDHx) in Tumorigenesis

Abstract

Transformation of a normal cell to cancerous one is dependent on the accumulation of several genetic and epigenetic alterations. One of the candidate driver genetic alterations can happen in succinate dehydrogenases (SDHx) coding gene include SDHA, SDHB, SDHC, SDHD, and SDHAF2.  The most important SDH mutation is in the SDHD gene, which encodes the smallest subunit of mitochondrial complex II (SDH). It has key function both in familial and non-familial hereditary paraganglioma/phaeochromocytoma syndrome (HPGL/PCC). SDHx genes mutations can have resulted in genetic and epigenetic changes like histone hypermethylation. These properties can lead to succinate-mediated inhibition of α-ketoglutarate-dependent dioxygenases. So hypoxic conditions can generate subsequent neoplastic transformation, and in this review, we are presenting the role of SDHx in several malignancies.