Generation and characterization of Men1 mutant mouse models for studying MEN1 disease

Patients with multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1(MEN1)mutations are predisposed to MEN1 syndrome affecting various endocrine cell lineages.Following its identification in the late 1990s,laboratories around the world,including our own,used gene-targeting approaches in murine models to study the MEN1 gene and its related diseases.Subsequently,this field of research witnessed an upsurge in the use of Men1 mutant mouse models to dissect MEN1 functions.These studies led to unraveling the natural history of MEN disease,and highlighted cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the development of the disease.In this review,we present the currently available data concerning the generation and characterization of Men1 mutant mouse models in connection with MEN1 syndrome.