Menin's Interaction with Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein and Vimentin Suggests a Role for the Intermediate Filament Network in Regulating Menin Activity

Recently the multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN1) tumor suppressor gene was cloned. Its protein product, called menin, has been shown to associate with the AP1 transcription factor JunD and to repress JunD-mediated transcription. However, little is known concerning the regulation of menin. Here we report that menin interacts with the type III intermediate filament (IF) proteins glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and vimentin. Menin's interaction with these IF proteins was characterized and confirmed both in vitro and in vivo using GST pull-down analysis, co-immunoprecipitation experiments, and immunofluorescence studies. Deletion mutants of GFAP or vimentin involving the head domains of the molecules abolish the interaction with menin. Endogenous menin is colocalized with GFAP and vimentin in glioma cells as determined by confocal microscopy. Furthermore, a tailless GFAP deletion mutant, which disrupts the IF network, results in menin/GFAP/vimentin-containing aggregates. Triple immunofluorescence labeling studies with antibodies against menin, BrdU, and GFAP show that menin and GFAP colocalize in glioma cells at the S-G2 phase of the cell cycle, as measured by BrdU incorporation. Our data suggest that the intermediate filament network interacts with and may serve as a cytoplasmic sequestering network for menin at the S and early G2 phase of the cell cycle.