MOUSE CHROMOSOMAL LOCATION OF 3 EGF RECEPTOR LIGANDS - AMPHIREGULIN (AREG), BETACELLULIN (BTC), AND HEPARIN-BINDING EGF (HEGFL)

The products of five distinct loci, Egf, Tgfa, Areg, Etc, and Hegfl ac t as ligands for the epidermal growth factor receptor. Egf and Tgfa ha ve previously been mapped to mouse chromosomes 3 and 6, respectively, but the mouse chromosomal locations of Areg, Btc, and Hegfl have not b een reported. Here, we show that Areg and Etc are tightly linked on mo use chromosome 5, while Hegfl maps to mouse chromosome 18. We also pro vide evidence that a putative sixth family member, Sdgf, is in fact a species variant of Areg. These results confirm and extend known relati onships between mouse and human chromosomes, and they also provide new information regarding the evolution of this important gene family. (C ) 1995 Academic Press, Inc.