CHROMOSOMAL LOCALIZATION OF THE GONADOTROPIN-RELEASING-HORMONE RECEPTOR GENE TO HUMAN-CHROMOSOME 4Q13.1-Q21.1 AND MOUSE CHROMOSOME-5

The gonadotropin-releasing hormone receptor (GRHR) is a G-protein-coup led receptor on the cell surface of pituitary gonadotropes, where it s erves to transduce signals from the extracellular ligand, the hypothal amic factor gonadotropin-releasing hormone, and to modulate the synthe sis and secretion of luteinizing hormone and follicle-stimulating horm one. We have localized the GRHR gene to the q13.1-q21.1 region of the human chromosome 4 using mapping panels of human/redent somatic cell h ybrids containing different human chromosomes or different regions of human chromosome 4. Furthermore, using linkage analysis of single-stra nd conformational polymorphisms, the murine GRHR gene was localized to mouse chromosome 5, linked to the endogenous retroviral marker Pmv-11 . This is consistent with the evolutionary conservation of homology be tween these two regions, as has been previously suggested from compara tive mapping of several other loci. The localization of the GRHR gene may be useful in the study of disorders of reproduction. (C) 1994 Acad emic Press, Inc.