CANDIDATE GENES FOR MULTIPLE ENDOCRINE NEOPLASIA TYPE-1

The aim of this study was to isolate and characterize candidates for t he multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN1) gene. The development of tumours related to MEN1 is associated with somatic deletions involvin g the MEN1 locus, suggesting inactivation of a tumour-suppressor gene in this region. We have isolated five cDNA candidates located within t he 900 kb remaining for the MEN1 gene, determined their sequence, and characterized their expression in normal tissues and several endocrine tumours. One of the candidates, encoding for phospholipase C-beta 3, showed properties consistent with the idea of a tumour-suppressor gene .