AIP gene in pituitary adenoma predisposition

Abstract

Germline mutations in the aryl hydrocarbon receptor interacting protein (AIP) gene were recently shown to cause susceptibility to pituitary adenoma predisposition. The purpose of this review is to briefly recapitulate the current knowledge on hereditary susceptibility to pituitary adenomas and what led to the identification of AIP as a novel predisposition gene. We will then concentrate on the data on AIP mutations and pituitary adenoma predisposition phenotype that have accumulated since the gene was identified. Major future challenges, as well as the possibilities for clinical practice based on this recent finding, will also be discussed.

Keywords::

• acromegaly
• AIP
• aryl hydrocarbon receptor interacting protein
• genetic counseling
• PAP
• pituitary adenoma predisposition

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Academy of Finland (grant 212901) and the Center of Excellence in Translational Genome-Scale Biology, and the Association for International Cancer Research (grant 05–001).