Nancy L. Carson

The β subunit locus of the human fibronectin receptor: DNA restriction fragment length polymorphism and linkage mapping studies

SummaryThe beta subunit of the human fibronectin receptor (FNRB) is a transmembrane protein belonging to the VLA (very late antigens of activation) family. Using pGEM-32, a 2.5-kb partial cDNA clone corresponding to the 3′ portion of the human FNRB locus, multiple restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs) were revealed on DNAs from unrelated Caucasians. RFLPs detected by five enzymes, BanII, HinfI, KpnI, BglII, and SacI, are of the simple two-allele form, and pairwise linkage analyses of these RFLPs with numerous known DNA markers from the chromosome-10 pericentromeric region not only confirmed the chromosome-10 assignment of the functional FNRB gene but also supported its localization at p11.2 suggested by in situ hybridization. An infrequent MspI RFLP was detected by pB/R2, a 4.6-kb genomic clone from the FNRB locus. Another type of DNA polymorphism was also revealed by the cDNA clone and it was visualized on the Southern blot analyses as the presence or absence of an extra band (or a set of extra bands). It seems to stem from a stretch of DNA sequence present in some individuals at one single locus but absent in others, and is of non-chromosome-10 origin based on linkage analyses with known chromosome 10 markers. This “presence/absence” type of polymorphism could be revealed by all of the 25 restriction enzymes tested and is similar in nature to that previously reported with one of the human dihydrofolate reductase pseudogenes, DHFRP1. Dissection of the pGEM-32 clone demonstrated that the region revealing the non-chromosome-10 sequences is within a fragment about 1.7 kb in length extending from about 600 nucleotides preceding the stop codon down to the end of the cloned FNRB 3′ untranslated region. Due to its high polymorphism information content (PIC) value (0.71 for haplotypes of BanII, HinfI, and KpnI RFLPs) and proximity to the centromere, FNRB will prove to be a highly useful marker for genetic linkage studies of multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2A (MEN2A) as well as for chromosome-10 linkage studies in general.

A linkage group of five DNA markers on human chromosome 10.

Five chromosome 10 DNA markers (D10S1, D10S3, D10S4, D10S5, and RBP3) were typed in five large pedigrees with multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2A (MEN-2A) and in five non-MEN-2A pedigrees. Linkage analyses showed that these loci and the locus for MEN-2A (MEN2A) are in one linkage group spanning at least 70 cM. The order of the marker loci is RBP3-D10S5-D10S3-D10S1-D10S4, with interlocus recombination frequencies of 7, 13-19, 19, and 19%, respectively, all on the same side of MEN2A. Analyses of sex-specific recombination frequencies indicated no significant differences between males and females for any of the map intervals studied. Previous localization of D10S5 and RBP3 to the proximal region of the long arm and the pericentric region, respectively, comparison of results with other studies, and our preliminary results with other chromosome 10 markers suggest that the D10S4 end of the map extends into the long arm. Our linkage map has been constructed using only two- and three-locus analyses. It will be possible to combine our results with those of other groups to construct a more detailed and accurate genetic map of chromosome 10.

A physical map of human chromosome 10 and a comparison with an existing genetic map

A physical map for 13 loci on chromosome 10 was developed by determining the dosage of the corresponding DNA sequences in cell lines with unbalanced chromosome 10 rearrangements. Nine of the sequences were assigned to a smaller segment of the chromosome than previously and four sublocalizations were confirmed. The physical map covers most of chromosome 10, from 10p13 to 10q23. The linear order of loci within the physical map agrees with existing linkage maps of chromosome 10. A comparison between the physical map and existing genetic maps indicate an uneven distribution of recombination for chromosome 10. There appear to be hot spots of recombination in the regions defined by q21.1 and q22-q23. In addition, there is a suppression of recombination in the pericentromeric region in males which is not evident in females.

A Refined Linkage Map for DNA Markers around the Pericentromeric Region of Chromosome 10

A refined genetic linkage map for the pericentromeric region of human chromosome 10 has been constructed from data on 12 distinct polymorphic DNA loci as well as the locus for multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2A (MEN 2A), a dominantly inherited cancer syndrome. The map extends from D10S24 (at 10p13-p12.2) to D10S3 (at 10q21-q23) and is about 70 cM long. Overall, higher female than male recombination frequencies were observed for this region, with the most remarkable female excess in the immediate vicinity of the centromere, as previously reported. Most of the DNA markers in this map are highly informative for linkage and the majority of the interlocus intervals are no more than 6 cM apart. Thus this map should provide a fine framework for future efforts in more detailed mapping studies around the centromeric area. A set of ordered cross-overs identified in this work is a valuable resource for rapidly and accurately localizing new DNA clones isolated from the pericentromeric region.