CONSTRUCTION OF A 780-KB PAC, BAC, AND COSMID CONTIG ENCOMPASSING THEMINIMAL CRITICAL DELETION INVOLVED IN B-CELL CHRONIC LYMPHOCYTIC-LEUKEMIA AT 13Q14.3

A putative tumor suppressor gene involved in B cell chronic lymphocyti c leukemia (B-CLL) was mapped to human chromosome 13q14.3 close to the genetic markers D13S25 and D13S319. We constructed a 780-kb-long cont ig composed of cosmids, bacterial artificial chromosomes, and bacterio phage P1-derived artificial chromosomes that provides essential inform ation and tools for the positional cloning of this gene. The contig co ntains both flanking markers as well as several additional genetic mar kers, three ESTs, and one potential CpG island. In addition, using one B-CLL patient, we characterized a small internal deleted region of 55 0 kb. Comparing this deletion with other recently published deletions narrows the minimally deleted area to less than 100 kb in our physical map. This deletion core region should contain all or part of the disr upted in B cell malignancies tumor suppressor gene. (C) 1997 Academic Press.