Abstract
Pathologic soft tissue calcification can occur in both genetic and acquired clinical conditions, causing significant morbidity and mortality. Although the pathomechanisms of pathologic calcification are poorly understood, major progress has been made in recent years in defining the underlying genetic defects in Mendelian disorders of ectopic calcification. This review presents an overview of the pathophysiology of five monogenic disorders of pathologic calcification: pseudoxanthoma elasticum, generalized arterial calcification of infancy, arterial calcification due to deficiency of CD73, ankylosis, and progeria. These hereditary disorders, caused by mutations in genes encoding ATP binding cassette subfamily C member 6, ectonucleotide pyrophosphatase/phosphodiesterase 1, CD73, progressive ankylosis protein, and lamin A/C proteins, respectively, are inorganic pyrophosphate (PPi) deficiency syndromes with reduced circulating levels of PPi, the principal physiologic inhibitor of calcium hydroxyapatite deposition in soft connective tissues. In addition to genetic diseases, PPi deficiency has been encountered in acquired clinical conditions accompanied by pathologic calcification. Because specific and effective treatments are lacking for pathologic calcification, the unifying finding of PPi deficiency suggests that PPi-targeted therapies may be beneficial to counteract pathologic soft tissue calcification in both genetic and acquired diseases.