COMPARATIVE MAPPING OF LIPOCALIN GENES IN HUMAN AND MOUSE - THE 4 GENES FOR COMPLEMENT C8-GAMMA-CHAIN, PROSTAGLANDIN-D-SYNTHASE, ONCOGENE-24P3, AND PROGESTAGEN-ASSOCIATED ENDOMETRIAL PROTEIN MAP TO HSA9 AND MMU2

The lipocalin superfamily encompasses a large set of quite distantly r elated proteins that act as carriers for small, lipophilic molecules. The lipocalin genes coding for orosomucoid, the alpha(1)-microglobulin /bikunin precursor, and the major urinary protein map to MMU4, while t heir human counterparts map to the homologous HSA9q34 area where three other lipocalin genes for complement C8 gamma chain (C8G), progestage n-associated endometrial protein (PAEP), and prostaglandin D synthase (PTGDS) are also located. By linkage analyses in an interspecific back cross progeny in mouse, the Lcn2 gene coding for the oncogenic lipocal in 24p3, as well as the 3 lipocalin genes for C8G, PTGDS, and PAEP, ha ve now been assigned to MMU2. The first three genes map to proximal MM U2, which is known to be homologous to HSA9q34. Paep is more distally located, which extends the number of regions with conserved syntenies between HSA9q34 and MMU2. By in situ hybridization, the human LCN2 gen e maps to HSA9q34. Our data indicate that the lipocalin locus arrangem ent in the human/mouse ancestor is closer to that found at HSA9q than to that in the MMU genome. (C) 1994 Academic Press, Inc.