NHGRI Menin ChIP-Chip

Multiple endocrine neoplasia type I (MEN1) is a familial cancer syndrome characterized primarily by tumors of multiple endocrine glands. The gene for MEN1 encodes a ubiquitously expressed tumor suppressor protein called menin. Menin was recently shown to interact with several components of a trithorax family histone methyltransferase complex including ASH2, Rbbp5, WDR5, and the leukemia proto-oncoprotein MLL. To elucidate menin's role as a tumor suppressor and gain insights into the endocrine-specific tumor phenotype in MEN1, we mapped the genomic binding sites of menin, MLL1, and Rbbp5, to approximately 20,000 promoters in HeLa S3, HepG2, and pancreatic islet cells using the strategy of chromatin-immunoprecipitation coupled with microarray analysis. We found that menin, MLL1, and Rbbp5 localize to the promoters of thousands of human genes but do not always bind together. These data suggest that menin functions as a general regulator of transcription. Keywords: ChIP/chip NHGRI Menin ChIP-Chip