What are the genetic changes related to pulmonary veno-occlusive disease ?
The primary genetic cause of PVOD is mutations in the EIF2AK4 gene. Mutations in other genes may cause a small percentage of cases. Other suspected causes of PVOD include viral infection and exposure to toxic chemicals, including certain chemotherapy drugs.  The protein produced from the EIF2AK4 gene helps cells respond appropriately to changes that could damage the cell. For example, when the level of protein building blocks (amino acids) in a cell falls too low, the activity of the EIF2AK4 protein helps reduce the production of other proteins, which conserves amino acids. The EIF2AK4 gene mutations involved in PVOD likely eliminate functional EIF2AK4 protein; however, it is unknown how absence of this protein's function leads to the pulmonary vessel abnormalities that underlie PVOD.