Pleiomorphic Adenoma Gene 1 (PLAG1)

Pleomorphic adenoma gene 1 encodes a zinc finger protein with 2 putative nuclear localization signals. PLAG1, which is developmentally regulated, has been shown to be consistently rearranged in pleomorphic adenomas of the salivary glands. PLAG1 is activated by the reciprocal chromosomal translocations involving 8q12 in a subset of salivary gland pleomorphic adenomas.

Pleomorphic adenomas are benign epithelial tumors originating from the major and minor salivary glands. They are characterized by recurrent chromosome translocations; the most common abnormalities involve chromosome 8, with consistent breakpoints at band q12.