Dysregulation of HIF and VEGF is a unifying feature of the familial hamartoma syndromes

The LKB1 tumor suppressor protein controls the activity of the TSC1/TSC2 tumor suppressor complex. Mutations in LKB1 cause Peutz-Jeghers syndrome (PJS), and mutations in either TSC1 or TSC2 cause tuberous sclerosis complex - two syndromes characterized by the development of hamartomas. LKB1 activation by energy deprivation activates AMPK, which in turn phosphorylates and activates TSC2. TSC2 activation results in the inactivation of mTOR, a critical regulator of protein translation. How mTOR dysregulation after inactivation of LKB1 or TSC1/2 contributes to hamartoma development is not known. However, hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) and VEGF are regulated by mTOR and are likely to play a contributory role.