Physical map and expression profile of genes of the telomeric class I gene region of the rat MHC

The rat is an important model for studying organ graft rejection and susceptibility to certain complex diseases. The MHC, the RT1 complex, plays a decisive role in controlling these traits. We have cloned the telomeric class I region of the RT1 complex, RT1-C/E/M, of the BN inbred rat strain in a contig of overlapping P1-derived artificial chromosome clones encompassing approximately 2 Mb, and present a physical map of this MHC region. Forty-five class I exon 4-hybridizing BAM:HI fragments were detected, including the previously known rat class I genes RT1-E, RT-BM1, RT1-N, RT1-M2, RT1-M3, and RT1-M4. Twenty-six non-class I genes known to map to the corresponding part of the human and mouse MHC were tested and could be fine mapped in the RT1-C/E/M region at orthologous position. Four previously known microsatellite markers were fine mapped in the RT1-C/E/M region and found to occur in multiple copies. In addition, a new, single-copy polymorphic microsatellite has been defined. The expression profiles of several class I genes and the 26 non-class I genes were determined in 13 different tissues and exhibited restricted patterns in most cases. The data provide further molecular information on the MHC for analyzing disease susceptibility and underline the usefulness of the rat model.