CDNA SEQUENCE, MAP, AND EXPRESSION OF THE MURINE HOMOLOG OF GTBP, A DNA MISMATCH REPAIR GENE

DNA mismatch repair genes (MMR) have been actively studied in humans f or their role in cancer susceptibility, Recently, GTBP, a new member o f the MMR gene family, has been cloned and found to encode a 160-kDa p rotein that forms a heterodimer with hMSH2. Our group has isolated and characterized the mouse homolog of GTBP, The transcript, termed Gtmbp (G/T mismatch-binding protein), encodes a protein highly similar to i ts human counterpart. The gene is markedly conserved across species an d maps to the distal portion of mouse chromosome 17, in a region homol ogous to human 2p. One Gtmbp-related sequence maps to proximal mouse c hromosome 4. Studies of the expression of Gtmbp suggest that its regul ated transcription is tightly licked to the level of DNA replication, consistent with the protein's DNA proofreading function. (C) 1996 Acad emic Press, Inc.