Alterations of the MEN1 gene in sporadic parathyroid tumors

Primary hyperparathyroidism is a common endocrine disease that also occurs in a number of inherited disorders, including multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN1). Loss of heterozygosity (LOH) in the MEN1 region on chromosome 11q13 has been found in 30% of sporadic parathyroid tumors, making the recently cloned MEN1 gene a prime candidate for involvement in parathyroid tumorigenesis. Using LOH and single strand conformation analysis, we screened 45 sporadic tumors from 40 patients for alterations involving the MEN1 gene. Thirteen tumors showed LOH at 11q13, and in 6 of these cases, somatic mutation of the MEN1 gene was detected. In tumors without LOH, no mutations were detected. The mutations consisted of 3 small deletions, 1 insertion, and 2 missense mutations that had not been reported in MEN1 patients or parathyroid tumors previously. Using messenger ribonucleic acid in situ hybridization, the expression of the MEN1 gene was studied. There was no difference in expression between normal and tumor tissue. In conclusion, the findings of inactivating mutation in tumors with LOH at 11q13 confirm the role of the MEN1 tumor suppressor gene in a subset of sporadic parathyroid tumors.