GENETIC ANALYSES OF TATTERED, AN X-LINKED DOMINANT, DEVELOPMENTAL MOUSE MUTATION

Tattered (Td) is an X-linked dominant mouse mutation that causes prena tal lethality in affected males. To map the locus, we analyzed 199 nor mal male and affected female progeny from a backcross of Td and Mus ca staneus. Pedigree analysis of these animals suggests a gene order of c en-DXWas70-(Td, DXMit26, Gatal, Tcfe3)-(Cybb, Otc)-tel, where Tcfe3 is a transcription factor homologous to a gene involved in the murine mi crophthalmia (mi) mutation [Hodgkinson et al. Cell 74, 395-404, 1993]. To evaluate Tcfe3 as a candidate for Td, heterozygous tattered female s were crossed to rid males to obtain females in which >95% of B cells expressed genes solely from the Td X Chromosome (Chr). Fluorescent ac tivated cell sorting (FACS) analysis and Western blotting of isolated splenocytes from Td/xid double heterozygotes rule out Tcfe3 as a likel y candidate for the Td mutation.