THE OLFR1 GENE ENCODING THE HGMP07E PUTATIVE OLFACTORY RECEPTOR MAPS TO THE 17P13-]P12 REGION OF THE HUMAN GENOME AND REVEALS AN MSPI RESTRICTION-FRAGMENT-LENGTH-POLYMORPHISM

Olfactory receptors are believed to be encoded by an extremely large s ubfamily of G protein-coupled receptors. A human gene (OLFR1) encoding a member of this family was cloned from a genomic library by cross-hy bridization with a gene fragment obtained by the polymerase chain reac tion. The nucleotide sequence of a 3.4-kb EcoRI fragment was determine d, and the protein sequence was deduced from the single open reading f rame. The gene was assigned by in situ hybridization of metaphase chro mosomes to the 17p13-->p12 region of the human genome, in proximity to the tumor-suppressor gene encoding p53. When used as a probe on South ern blots under moderately stringent conditions, it hybridizes to at l east three closely related genes. A restriction fragment length polymo rphism was detected after MspI digestion. Mendelian segregation of the gene was assessed in three CEPH families, and linkage analysis confir med the localization of the locus.