The genetics of multiple endocrine neoplasia (MEN)

Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia (MEN) refers to the family of diseases characterized by hyperplasia and/or tumoral proliferation in various organs derived from the neural crest. MEN are transmitted in an autosomal dominant fashion in affected pedigrees with a high degree of penetrance. MEN 1 and MEN 2A/B loci have recently been mapped, respectively, to chromosomes 11 and 10 by linkage analysis using polymorphic DNA markers. These discoveries will lead (1) to a rapid understanding of the physiopathological pathway determining such syndromes and (2) to major clinical impact through the genetic screening.