THE MAJOR PERIPHERAL MYELIN PROTEIN ZERO GENE - STRUCTURE AND LOCALIZATION IN THE CLUSTER OF FC-GAMMA RECEPTOR GENES ON HUMAN-CHROMOSOME 1Q21.3-Q23

We have characterized the human gene encoding the major peripheral mye lin protein zero (PO) and assigned it, by in situ hybridization, to th e q21.3 - q23 region of human chromosome 1. This region is known to co ntain a cluster of interspersed genes coding for the related human leu kocyte receptors of the Fc portion of the immunoglobulin G (Fc gamma R I, II, III). This colocalization was refined by the finding of a yeast artificial chromosome YAC) of the Centre d'Etude du Polymorphisme Hum ain (CEPH) library, hybridizing to the PO and Fc gamma RIIA genes, dem onstrating their physical linkage. These data may have important impli cations in demyelinating diseases studies like Charcot-Marie-Tooth dis ease type 1B (CMT1B).