A pancreas carcinoid, an adrenocortical adenoma, three parathyroid adenomas and a parathyroid hyperplasia of 5 MEN1 patients were used for loss of heterozygosity (LOH) and comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) studies. The MEN1 gene is located in the region 11q13, approximately 30 kb distal to PGYM. Four tumors showed LOH on chromosome 11q13 (D11S11335, PGYM, D11S1883, FGF3, D11S937) however LOH was also found beyond 11q13. The pancreas carcinoid and adrenocortical adenoma, both from the same patient, showed LOH at marker 11q23.3 and 11q25. In the three parathyroid adenomas LOH was detected in five different markers: 11q21, 11q22.3, 11q23.2, 11q23.3 and 11q25. No LOH was found in parathyroid hyperplasia. CGH analysis showed in case of the pancreas carcinoid losses on chromosomes 1p, 2q, 3, 6, 9p, 11 and 12p. Gains were found at 4, 5, 7, 8, 13, 14, 15q, 18, 19. The parathyroid adenoma of the third patient showed losses only on chromosome 11 in the region 11p12-p15 and 11q12-q23. Our data indicate that other genes are involved in the tumorigenesis of the MEN1 syndrome. Especially the numerous allelic losses between markers 11q23 and 11q25 (D11S938 and D11S910) are a hint for further tumor suppressor genes on chromosome 11.

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