GENOMIC ORGANIZATION AND CHROMOSOMAL LOCATION OF MURINE CDC42

cdc42 is a member of the rho family of small GTPases, which are implic ated as regulators of cellular morphology. To date, one murine and two human cdc42 isoforms have been identified. Here we report the cloning of a second murine isoform and provide evidence that the two isoforms arise from a single gene by alternative splicing. In contrast with th e previously identified murine cdc42 sequence, which is expressed in a wide variety of tissues, the second isoform appears to be expressed e xclusively in brain. Using single-strand conformation polymorphism ana lysis of a mouse backcross panel, the gene encoding cdc42 has been loc alized to distal chromosome 4. (C) 1996 Academic Press, Inc.