Question:
The RET proto-oncogene is associated with the development of which of the following?
The RET proto-oncogene is associated with the development of which of the following?
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RET acts in neural crest-derived parafollicular C cells - think MEN-2 and medullary thyroid cancer.
Updated On: Jun 23, 2026
- Medullary carcinoma thyroid
- Astrocytoma
- Paraganglioma
- Hurthle cell tumor thyroid
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Verified By Collegedunia
The Correct Option is A
Solution and Explanation
Step 1: The RET proto-oncogene encodes a receptor tyrosine kinase that binds glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) and promotes survival of neural crest-derived cells during development.
Step 2: RET is normally expressed in the parafollicular C cells of the thyroid and the adrenal medulla. Activating (gain-of-function) mutations in RET drive proliferation of these C cells, producing medullary carcinoma of the thyroid (MTC).
Step 3: RET mutations underlie MEN type 2A (MTC, pheochromocytoma, hyperparathyroidism), MEN type 2B (MTC, pheochromocytoma, mucosal neuromas, Marfanoid habitus), and familial medullary thyroid carcinoma. This firmly links RET to option A.
Step 4: The distractors are wrong because astrocytoma is a glial tumor unrelated to RET; paraganglioma relates more to SDH gene mutations; and Hurthle cell tumors arise from follicular (not parafollicular) thyroid cells and are not RET-driven. Hence option A is correct.
Step 2: RET is normally expressed in the parafollicular C cells of the thyroid and the adrenal medulla. Activating (gain-of-function) mutations in RET drive proliferation of these C cells, producing medullary carcinoma of the thyroid (MTC).
Step 3: RET mutations underlie MEN type 2A (MTC, pheochromocytoma, hyperparathyroidism), MEN type 2B (MTC, pheochromocytoma, mucosal neuromas, Marfanoid habitus), and familial medullary thyroid carcinoma. This firmly links RET to option A.
Step 4: The distractors are wrong because astrocytoma is a glial tumor unrelated to RET; paraganglioma relates more to SDH gene mutations; and Hurthle cell tumors arise from follicular (not parafollicular) thyroid cells and are not RET-driven. Hence option A is correct.
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