Department of Endocrinology, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Liège, University of Liège, Domaine Universitaire du Sart Tilman, 4000 Liège, Belgium.
CONTEXT: Limited screening suggests that three germline mutations in the aryl hydrocarbon receptor interacting protein (AIP) gene are not involved in sporadic pituitary tumorigenesis. Multiple novel mutations of this gene have since been identified in familial isolated pituitary adenoma cohorts. OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to undertake full AIP coding sequence screening to assess for the presence of germline and somatic mutations in European Union subjects with sporadic pituitary tumors. DESIGN: The study design was the analysis of DNA from peripheral blood lymphocytes and analysis of exons 1-6 and paraexonic intron sequences of AIP. Multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification was used to screen separate sporadic pituitary tumor tissue samples for discrete and extensive deletions or mutations of the AIP gene. Setting: The study was conducted in university tertiary referral Clinical Genetics, Molecular Biology, and Endocrinology Departments. RESULTS: In 107 patients [prolactinomas (n =49), nonfunctioning tumors (n = 29), somatotropinomas (n = 26), ACTH-secreting tumors (n = 2), TSH-secreting tumors (n = 1)], no germline mutations of AIP were demonstrated. Among a group of 41 tumor samples from other subjects, a novel AIP mutation (R22X) was found in one sample in which the corresponding allele was deleted; follow-up screening of the patient demonstrated a germline R22X AIP mutation. CONCLUSIONS: AIP mutations do not appear to play a prominent role in sporadic pituitary tumorigenesis in this population of European subjects.