MAPPING OF THE FOCAL ADHESION KINASE (FADK) GENE TO MOUSE CHROMOSOME-15 AND HUMAN-CHROMOSOME-8

Focal adhesion kinase (pp125FAK or FAK) is a cytoplasmic protein-tyros ine kinase stimulated in response to cell interactions with extracellu lar matrix components and by exposure to a variety of agonists, includ ing neuropeptides. FAK lacks Src-homology SH2 and SH3 domains, is high ly conserved across species, and may re-present the prototype for a ty rosine kinase family involved in novel signal transduction pathways. W e have identified sequence variants in the 3' untranslated regions of the focal adhesion kinase gene in mice and used a PCR-based oligonucle otide hybridization assay to map the mouse gene (Fadk) to Chromosome ( Chr) 15 distal to the myelocytomatosis protooncogene (Myc). The human homolog (PTK2) has been assigned to human Chr 8 on a panel of somatic hybrid cell lines. On the basis of synteny of mouse and human chromoso mal maps, the position of the human PTK2 gene probably corresponds to human Chr 8q24-qter.