cDNA Cloning and Gene Mapping of Human Homologs forSchizosaccharomyces pombe rad17, rad1,andhus1and Cloning of Homologs from Mouse,Caenorhabditis elegans,andDrosophila melanogaster

Mutations in DNA repair/cell cycle checkpoint genes can lead to the development of cancer. The cloning of human homologs of yeast DNA repair/cell cycle checkpoint genes should yield candidates for human tumor suppressor genes as well as identifying potential targets for cancer therapy. TheSchizosaccharomyces pombegenesrad17, rad1,andhus1have been identified as playing roles in DNA repair and cell cycle checkpoint control pathways. We have cloned the cDNA for the human homolog ofS. pombe rad17,RAD17, which localizes to chromosomal location 5q13 by fluorescencein situhybridization and radiation hybrid mapping; the cDNA for the human homolog ofS. pombe rad1,RAD1, which maps to 5p14–p13.2; and the cDNA for the human homolog ofS. pombe hus1,HUS1, which maps to 7p13–p12. The human gene loci have previously been identified as regions containing tumor suppressor genes. In addition, we report the cloning of the cDNAs for genes related toS. pombe rad17, rad9, rad1,andhus1from mouse,Caenorhabditis elegans,andDrosophila melanogaster.These includeRad17andRad9fromD. melanogaster,hpr-17 and hpr-1 fromC. elegans,and RAD1 and HUS1 from mouse. The identification of homologs of theS. pomberad checkpoint genes from mammals, arthropods, and nematodes indicates that this cell cycle checkpoint pathway is conserved throughout eukaryotes.