A cluster of CpG islands at D10S94, near the locus responsible for multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2A (MEN2A)

Abstract

We report the characterization of a dense cluster of CpG islands at D10S94 in proximal 10q11.2. D10S94 is tightly linked to the gene responsible for multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2A (MEN 2A), a dominantly inherited tumor syndrome characterized by medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC), pheochromocytoma, and/or parathyroid adenoma. To date, no recombinants between D10S94 and MEN2A have been identified. The gene(s) responsible for two additional dominantly inherited disorders involving cancer of the medullary thyroid, MEN 2B (MEN2B), and dominantly inherited MTC without additional clinical features (MTC1), also map to this region. The gene or genes responsible for these disorders may be located at or near the D10S94 locus. A 570-kb long-range restriction map has been generated by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis using probes developed during a 160-kb bidirectional cosmid walk at D10S94. Six CpG islands are clustered within a 180-kb region; five fall within a 145-kb NotI restriction fragment that is contained in its entirety in our cosmid contig. The SacII, SfiI, and NotI restriction maps for lymphoblast and cloned DNA are concordant. These CpG islands may represent the 5' ends of candidate genes for MEN2A, MEN2B, and/or MTC1. One gene designated mcs94-1, which is associated with one of the CpG islands in this cluster, has been isolated and characterized in detail.