This book examines what is known about the molecular biology of multiple endocrine neoplasia, type 2 (MEN2). Mutations and alterations in gene expressions and signal transduction are placed in the context of their effects on the biology of the thyroid and adrenal cells which generate cancers in MEN2. Thus, this volume addresses the ret mutations, the effects these mutations may have on signal transduction, and developmental and neurobiological aspects of the cells affected of MEN2, and provides the basic researcher - in genetics, signal transduction, cell transformation, developmental or neurobiology - with a better understanding of how the knowledge generated by each of these fields intercalates within the overall biology of MEN2.

1. Clinical Manifestations of Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia Type 2

2. Mutations in Ret in MEN 2
3. Intracellular Signaling by the Ret Tyrosine Kinase
4. Mechanisms of Growth Factor-Mediated Signal Transduction in PC12 Cells
5. Origin of Adrenal Chromaffin Cells from the Neural Crest
6. The Adrenal Medulla in MEN 2
7. Neuronal Properties of Thyroid C-Cell Tumor Lines
8. Progression of Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma
9. Molecular Events in the Development and Progression of Medullary Thyroid Cancer and Pheochromocytoma
10. Conclusion.