Fine structure DNA mapping studies of the chromosomal region harboring the genetic defect in neurofibromatosis type 1

To better map the location of the von Recklinghausen neurofibromatosis (NF1) gene, we have characterized a somatic cell hybrid designated 7AE-11. This microcell-mediated, chromosome-transfer construct harbors a centromeric segment and a neo-marked segment from the distal long arm of human chromosome 17. We have identified 269 cosmid clones with human sequences from a 7AE-11 library and, using a panel of somatic cell hybrids with a total of six chromosome 17q breakpoints, have mapped 240 of these clones on chromosome 17q. The panel included a hybrid (NF13) carrying a der(22) chromosome that was isolated from an NF1 patient with a balanced translocation, t(17;22) (q11.2;q11.2). Fifty-three of the cosmids map into a region spanning the NF13 breakpoint, as defined by the two closest flanking breakpoints (17q11.2 and 17q11.2-q12). RFLP clones from a subset of these cosmids have been mapped by linkage analysis in normal reference families, to localize the NF1 gene more precisely and to enhance the potential for genetic diagnosis of this disorder. The cosmids in the NF1 region will be an important resource for testing DNA blots of large-fragment restriction-enzyme digests from NF1 patient cell lines, to detect rearrangements in patients' DNA and to identify the 17;22 NF1 translocation breakpoint.     

Identification and characterization of the gene for neurofibromatosis type 1.

Elucidation of the partial genomic structure and DNA sequence of the gene responsible for neurofibromatosis type 1, and discovery of clues to its function, have led to new opportunities not only for understanding this particular disease process, but also for clarifying signalling pathways involved in cellular growth and differentiation.     

Identification and characterization of the gene for neurofibromatosis type 1.

Elucidation of the partial genomic structure and DNA sequence of the gene that is altered in neurofibromatosis type 1, and the discovery of clues to its function, have opened new opportunities not only for understanding this particular disease process but also for clarifying signal pathways involved in cellular growth and differentiation. (This review is an updated and modified version of a review first published in Current Opinion in Genetics and Development 1991, 1:15-19.)     

Identification and mapping of six microdissected genomic DNA probes to the proximal region of mouse chromosome 1.

Six independent DNA probes, lambda Mm1C-150, lambda Mm1C-153, lambda Mm1C-156, lambda Mm1C-162, lambda Mm1C-163, and lambda Mm1C-165, have been isolated from a library of microdissected fragments from mouse chromosome 1, spanning cytogenetic bands C2 to C5. These DNA probes have been mapped by restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis with respect to 12 marker loci previously assigned to this portion of mouse chromosome 1, in a panel of 251 segregating Mus spretus x C57BL/6J interspecific backcross mice. The gene order and intergene distances were determined by segregation analysis to be centromere- lambda Mm1C-162-11.1 cM-Col3a1-8.8 cM-Len-2-2.6 cM-lambda Mm1C-163-1.6 cM-Fn-1-1.6 cM-Tp-1-0.8 cM-lambda Mm1C-165/Vil-0.4 cM-Inha-2.8 cM-lambda Mm1C-153-2.4 cM-lambda Mm1C-156-1.2 cM-Pax-3-5.6 cM-Akp-3-0.8 cM-Acrg-2.0 cM-Sag-0.5 cM-Col6a3-1.8 cM-lambda Mm1C-150-15.4 cM-Ren1,2. Four of these probes map within a chromosome 1 segment that is homologous to human chromosome 2q. Southern blotting analyses indicate that one of these anonymous probes, lambda Mm1C-165, detects DNA fragments highly conserved across species. These novel polymorphic probes should prove useful for linkage and physical mapping of this chromosomal region.     

Refined physical mapping and genomic structure of the EXTL1 gene

Recently, the EXTL1 gene, a member of the EXT tumor suppressor gene family, has been mapped to 1p36, a chromosome region which is frequently implicated in a wide variety of malignancies, including breast carcinoma, colorectal cancer and neuroblastoma. In this study, we show that the EXTL1 gene is located between the genetic markers D1S511 and D1S234 within 200 kb of the LAP18 gene on chromosome 1p36. 1, a region which has been proposed to harbor a tumor suppressor gene implicated in MYCN-amplified neuroblastomas. In addition, we determined the genomic structure of the EXTL1 gene, revealing that the EXTL1 coding sequence spans 11 exons within a 50-kb region.     

Linkage disequilibrium in the neurofibromatosis 1 (NF1) region: implications for gene mapping.

To test the usefulness of linkage disequilibrium for gene mapping, we compared physical distances and linkage disequilibrium among eight RFLPs in the neurofibromatosis 1 (NF1) region. Seven of the polymorphisms span most of the NF1 gene, while the remaining polymorphism lies approximately 70 kb 3' to a stop codon in exon 49. By using Centre d'Etude du Polymorphisme Humain (CEPH) kindreds, 91-110 unrelated parents were genotyped. A high degree of disequilibrium is maintained among the seven intragenic polymorphisms (r > .82, P < 10(-7)), even though they are separated by as much as 340 kb. The 3' polymorphism is only 68 kb distal to the next polymorphism, but disequilibrium between the 3' polymorphism and all others is comparatively low (magnitude of 4 < .33, P values .27-.001). This result was replicated in three sets of unrelated kindreds: the Utah CEPH families, the non-Utah CEPH families, and an independent set of NF1 families. Trigenic, quadrigenic, three-locus, and four-locus disequilibrium measures were also estimated. There was little evidence of higher-order linkage disequilibrium. As expected for a disease with multiple mutations, no disequilibrium was observed between the disease gene and any of the RFLPs. The observed pattern of high disequilibrium within the gene and a loss of disequilibrium 3' to the stop codon could have implications for gene mapping studies. These are discussed, and guidelines for linkage disequilibrium studies are suggested.     

Analysis of the human cytomegalovirus genomic region from UL146 through UL147A reveals sequence hypervariability, genotypic stability, and overlapping transcripts

Background

The amphotropic murine leukemia viruses (MuLV-A's) are naturally occurring, exogenously acquired gammaretroviruses that are indigenous to the Southern California wild mice. These viruses replicate in a wide range of cell types including human cells in vitro and they can cause both hematological and neurological disorders in feral as well as in the inbred laboratory mice. Since MuLV-A's also exhibit discrete interference and neutralization properties, the envelope proteins of these viruses have been extremely useful for studying virus-host cell interactions and as vehicles for transfer of foreign genes into a variety of hosts including human cells. However, the genomic structure of any of the several known MuLV-A's has not been established and the evolutionary relationship of amphotropic retroviruses to the numerous exogenous or endogenous MuLV strains remains elusive. Herein we present a complete genetic structure of a novel amphotropic virus designated MuLV-1313 and demonstrate that this retrovirus together with other MuLV-A's belongs to a distinct molecular, biological and phylogenetic class among the MuLV strains isolated from a large number of the laboratory inbred or feral mice.

Results

The host range of MuLV-1313 is similar to the previously isolated MuLV-A's except that this virus replicates efficiently in mammalian as well as in chicken cells. Compared to ENV proteins of other MuLV-A's (4070A, 1504A and 10A-1), the gp70 protein of MuLV-1313 exhibits differences in its signal peptides and the proline-rich hinge regions. However, the MuLV-1313 envelope protein is totally unrelated to those present in a broad range of murine retroviruses that have been isolated from various inbred and feral mice globally. Genetic analysis of the entire MuLV-1313 genome by dot plot analyses, which compares each nucleotide of one genome with the corresponding nucleotide of another, revealed that the genome of this virus, with the exception of the env gene, is more closely related to the biologically distinct wild mouse ecotropic retrovirus (Cas-Br-E) isolated from another region of the Southern California, than to any of the 15 MuLV strains whose full-length sequences are present in the GenBank. This finding was corroborated by phylogenetic analyses and hierarchical clustering of the entire genomic sequence of MuLV-1313, which also placed all MULV-A's in a genetically distinct category among the large family of retroviruses isolated from numerous mouse strains globally. Likewise, construction of separate dendrograms for each of the Gag, Pol and Env proteins of MuLV-1313 demonstrated that the amphotropic retroviruses belong to a phylogenetically exclusive group of gammaretroviruses compared to all known MuLV strains.

Conclusion

The molecular, biological and phylogenetic properties of amphotropic retroviruses including MuLV-1313 are distinct compared to a large family of exogenously- or endogenously-transmitted ecotropic, polytropic and xenotropic MuLV strains of the laboratory and feral mice. Further, both the naturally occurring amphotropic and a biologically discrete ecotropic retrovirus of the Southern California wild mice are more closely related to each other on the evolutionary tree than any other mammalian gammaretrovirus indicating a common origin of these viruses. This is the first report of a complete genomic analysis of a unique group of phylogenetically distinct amphotropic virus.     

Physical mapping of the von Recklinghausen neurofibromatosis region on chromosome 17

The von Recklinghausen neurofibromatosis (NF1) locus has been linked to chromosome 17, and recent linkage analyses place the gene on the proximal long arm. NF1 probably resides in 17q11.2, since two unrelated NF1 patients have been identified who possess constitutional reciprocal translocations involving 17q11.2 with chromosomes 1 and 22. We have used a somatic-cell hybrid from the t(17;22) individual, along with other hybrid cell lines, to order probes around the NF1 locus. An additional probe, 17L1, has been isolated from a NotI linking library made from flow-sorted chromosome 17 material and has been mapped to a region immediately proximal to the translocation breakpoint. While neither NF1 translocation breakpoint has yet been identified by pulse-field gel analysis, an overlap between two probes, EW206 and EW207, has been detected. Furthermore, we have identified the breakpoint in a non-NF1 translocation, SP-3, on the proximal side of the NF1 locus. This breakpoint has been helpful in creating a 1,000-kb pulsed-field map, which includes the closely linked NF1 probes HHH202 and TH17.19. The combined somatic-cell hybrid and pulsed-field gel analysis we report here favors the probe order D17Z1-HHH202-TH17.19-CRYB1-17L1-NF1- (EW206, EW207, EW203, L581, L946)-(ERBB2, ERBA1). The agreement in probe ordering between linkage analysis and physical mapping is excellent, and the availability of translocation breakpoints in NF1 should now greatly assist the cloning of this locus.