Assignment of murine cellular Harvey ras gene to chromosome 7

Sequential trisomization of chromosomes 6 and 7 in mouse skin premalignant lesions

Using a direct cytogenetic technique, we identified a nonrandom trisomy of chromosome 6 in 12 of 12 aneuploid mouse skin papillomas and in 10 of 11 squamous cell carcinomas induced by chemical carcinogenesis. The second most common abnormality observed was trisomy of chromosome 7 found in most dysplastic papillomas and in 10 of 11 carcinomas. The two trisomies were the only abnormalities found in all aneuploid papillomas and in several carcinomas. Mutation at codon 61 of the Ha-ras gene, which resides on chromosome 7, was also a common feature of the tumors sampled. Extensive homology exists between mouse chromosome 6 and human chromosome 7, the trisomy of which was recently suggested as a primary cytogenetic event in several human epithelial cancers. We propose a multistep model of tumor progression in which a sequence of specific nonrandom chromosomal abnormalities appear to be required for malignant transformation.

The structural gene for the M1 subunit of ribonucleotide reductase maps to chromosome 11, band p15, in human and to chromosome 7 in mouse

The genes for the M1 subunit of the enzyme ribonucleotide reductase have been mapped in the human and the murine species by use of two independently derived mouse cDNA clones. Southern blot analysis of rodent x human somatic cell hybrid DNAs confirmed the assignment of RRM1 to the short arm of human chromosome 11. In situ hybridization to human metaphase chromosomes revealed a peak of silver grains over the distal third of band 11p15, a region corresponding to subbands p15.4----p15.5. The mouse Rrml locus was assigned to chromosome 7, where it forms part of a conserved syntenic group of at least seven other genes assigned to human chromosome band 11p15.

New murine homeoboxes: structure, chromosomal assignment, and differential expression in adult erythropoiesis

The nucleotide sequence, chromosomal assignment, and preliminary transcriptional analysis of four murine homeoboxes is presented. Three of these are linked to the Hox-2 gene complex on chromosome 11, whereas the fourth, Hox-4, was assigned to mouse chromosome 12. A comparative analysis of homeobox sequences reveals that two of our sequences represent the previously described Hox-2.3 loci, whereas a third, mh19, could represent the predicted Hox-2.6 locus. Homeoboxes Hox-2.2 and Hox-2.3 are the cognates of two previously reported human homeoboxes that belong to a similar gene cluster on a closely related human chromosome (Chr 17), suggesting that homeoboxes may have been preserved as clusters during evolution. Moreover Hox-4, mh19, and the previously described Hox-1.5 homeobox form a separate subgroup of mammalian homeoboxes (90-92% amino acid and nucleotide homology). All four homeoboxes are expressed in the mouse embryo. Of special interest is the expression of mh19, a 4.2-kb transcript of which appears to be connected to the induced differentiation of Friend erythroleukemia cells.

Suppression of tumorigenicity in somatic cell hybrids does not involve quantitative changes in transcription of cellular Ha-ras, Ki-ras, myc, and fos oncogenes

The transcriptional activity of ten cellular oncogenes was analyzed in somatic cell hybrids that had been obtained after fusion of tumorigenic Chinese hamster cells and normal mouse fibroblasts. The hybrids showed either the tumorigenic or the nontumorigenic phenotype (suppression of tumorigenicity). Out of ten c-onc genes analyzed, four (c-Ha-ras, c-Ki-ras, c-myc, and c-fos) were found to be transcriptionally active at similar levels in tumorigenic as well as in nontumorigenic (suppressed) hybrids. Thus we conclude that suppression of tumorigenicity in Chinese hamster X mouse somatic cell hybrids does not correlate with quantitative changes in expression of these cellular oncogenes. The remaining six cellular oncogenes (c-abl, c-erb A and B, c-fes, c-myb, and c-sis) were not transcriptionally active in these hybrids.

The gene encoding the epsilon subunit of the T3/T-cell receptor complex maps to chromosome 11 in humans and to chromosome 9 in mice

The T3 complex is composed of three polypeptide chains that are both structurally and functionally associated with the receptor for antigen on the surface of human T lymphocytes. In a series of experiments utilizing both somatic cell hybrids and chromosomal hybridization in situ, the genes encoding two members of the human T3 complex, T3-delta and T3-epsilon, were found to reside on the long arm of chromosome 11 in band q23. The murine T3-epsilon gene was localized to chromosome 9. The location of the T3-delta and T3-epsilon genes with respect to the Hu-ets-1 gene, which is also located in 11q23, is discussed. Recent assignments of several genes, preferentially expressed in human cells of hematopoietic and neuroectodermal origins, to band q23 of human chromosome 11 and the murine equivalents to murine chromosome 9 may define a conserved gene cluster important in cell proliferation and differentiation.

Spatial restriction in expression of a mouse homoeo box locus within the central nervous system

A common feature of Drosophila homoeo box genes appears to be their spatially restricted expression patterns during morphogenesis. Using Northern blot analysis and in situ hybridization to mouse tissue sections, the spatially restricted expression of a newly identified mouse homoeo box locus, Hox-3, within the central nervous system of newborn and adult mice has been demonstrated.

Assignment of the gene coding for the T3-delta subunit of the T3-T-cell receptor complex to the long arm of human chromosome 11 and to mouse chromosome 9

The gene encoding the 20-kDa glycoprotein of the T3-T-cell receptor complex (T3-delta chain) has been mapped to human chromosome 11 by hybridization of a T3-delta cDNA clone (pPGBC#9) to DNA from a panel of human-rodent somatic cell hybrids. In Southern blotting experiments with DNAs of somatic cell hybrids that contained segments of chromosome 11, we were able to assign the T3-delta gene to the distal portion of the long arm of human chromosome 11 (11q23-11qter). By use of a newly developed cDNA clone (pPEM-T3 delta) that codes for the murine T3-delta chain, the mouse T3-delta gene was mapped on chromosome 9. The importance of the T3-delta map position and its relationship to the other genes on the long arm of human chromosome 11 and to those on mouse chromosome 9 is discussed.

Assignment of three rat cellular RAS oncogenes to chromosomes 1, 4, and X

Mouse hepatoma-rat hepatocyte hybrids that segregate rat chromosomes were used to determine the chromosomal localization of rat cellular RAS genes. The cellular KRAS gene, homologous to the Kirsten sarcoma virus oncogene was mapped to rat chromosome 4, a chromosome that is often present in three copies in rat neurogenic tumor cells and transformed glial cells. The rat cellular HRAS-1 gene, homologous to the Harvey sarcoma virus oncogene was assigned to chromosome 1, whereas its intron-less counterpart HRAS-2 was mapped to the X chromosome. Since the human HRAS-2 also resides on the X chromosome, it appears that the cellular HRAS-2 gene (or pseudogene) conserved its chromosomal localization during mammalian evolution.

Molecular cloning and chromosome assignment of murine N-ras

The murine N-ras gene was cloned by screening an EMBL-3 recombinant phage library with a human N-ras specific probe. Hybridization of two separate unique sequence N-ras probes, isolated from the 5' and 3' flanking sequences of the murine gene, to a mouse-Chinese hamster hybrid mapping panel assigns the N-ras locus to mouse chromosome three.