A novel moesin-, ezrin-, radixin-like gene is a candidate for the neurofibromatosis 2 tumor suppressor

The identification of a candidate gene for neurofibromatosis 2 (NF2), a dominantly inherited disorder characterized by the occurrence of bilateral schwannomas and other central nervous system tumors such as multiple meningiomas, is reported. Previous studies have suggested the inactivation of a tumor suppressor gene in choromosome 22q12 as a potential cause of the disorder. The candidate NF2 gene encodes a 587-amino acid protein which is related to the membrane-organizing extension spike protein-ezrin-radixin family of proteins that link cytoskeletal proteins with proteins in the cell membrane.