Clinically defined mutations in MEN1 alter its tumor-suppressive function through increased menin turnover

Abstract

Loss of the tumor suppressor protein menin is a critical event underlying the formation of neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) in hormone-expressing tissues including gastrinomas. While aberrant expression of menin impairs its tumor suppression, few studies explore the structure- function relationship of clinical Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia, type 1 (MEN1) mutations in the absence of a complete loss of heterozygosity at both loci. Here, we determined whether clinical MEN1 mutations render nuclear menin unstable and lead to its functional inactivation. We studied the structural and functional implications of three clinical MEN1 mutations (R516fs, E235K, and A541T) recently identified in a cohort of ten patients with GEP-NETs. We evaluated the subcellular localization and half-lives of these mutated menin variants in Men1-null mouse embryo fibroblast cells and in hormone-expressing human gastric adenocarcinoma and murine enteroendocrine tumor cell lines. Loss of menin function was assessed by cell proliferation and gastrin gene expression assays. Lastly, we evaluated the effect of the small molecule compound MI-503 on stabilizing nuclear menin expression and function in vitro and in a previously reported mouse model of gastric NET development. Both the R516fs and E235K variants exhibited severe defects in total and subcellular expression of menin, and this was consistent with reduced half-lives of these mutants. Mutated menin variants exhibited loss of function in suppressing tumor cell proliferation and gastrin expression. Treatment with MI-503 rescued nuclear menin expression and attenuated hypergastrinemia and gastric hyperplasia in NET-bearing mice. ImplicationClinically defined germline and somatic MEN1 mutations confer pathogenicity by destabilizing nuclear menin expression.