A germline deletion of p14ARF but not CDKN2A in a melanoma-neural system tumour syndrome family

The melanoma-astrocytoma syndrome is characterized by a dual predisposition to melanoma and neural system tumours, commonly astrocytoma. Germline deletions of the region on 9p21 containing the CDKN2A and CDKN2B genes and CDKN2A exon 1 beta have been reported in kindreds, implicating contiguous tumour suppressor gene deletion as a cause of this syndrome. We describe a family characterized by multiple melanoma and neural cell tumours segregating with a germline deletion of the p14(ARF)-specific exon 1 beta of the CDKN2A gene. This deletion does not affect the coding or minimal promoter sequences of either the CDKN2A or CDKN2B genes. Our results are consistent with either: (i) loss of p14(ARF) function being the critical abnormality associated with this syndrome, rather than contiguous loss of both the CDKN2A and CDKN2B genes as suggested previously; or (ii) disruption of expression of p16 by mechanisms as yet unknown.