ORGANIZATION OF THE REGION ENCOMPASSING THE HUMAN SERUM AMYLOID-A (SAA) GENE FAMILY ON CHROMOSOME-11P15.1

The four members of the human serum amyloid A protein (SAA) gene famil y are clustered on human chromosome 11p15.1. Three genes are different ially expressed and encode small apolipoproteins of M(r), 12-19 kDa: S AA1 and SAA2 encode the acute phase SAAs (A-SAAs), and SAA4 encodes th e constitutively expressed SAA (C-SAA). A fourth locus, SAA3, is a pse udogene. The human SAA gene family encompasses similar to 150 kb conta ined on a 900-kb yeast artificial chromosome contig. SAA1 and SAA2 are 15-20 kb apart and are arranged in divergent transcriptional orientat ions. SAA4 is 9 kb downstream of SAA2 and in the same orientation. SAA 3 is 110 kb downstream of SAA4 and its relative orientation could not be determined. All genes known to be in the same human and mouse synte nic linkage group as SAA were mapped within the contig. Interphase FIS H was used to orientate the region relative to the centromere: cen-LDH C-LDHA-SAA1- SAA2-SAA1-SAA3-TPH-D11S18-KCNC1-MYOD1-pter. (C) 1994 Acad emic Press, Inc.