A 2-MB YAC CONTIG AND PHYSICAL MAP OF THE NATURAL-KILLER GENE-COMPLEXON MOUSE CHROMOSOME-6

We have constructed a physical map of a >2-Mb region on mouse chromoso me 6 that contains the natural killer gene complex (NKC). The map comp rises a contig of 14 overlapping yeast artificial chromosomes onto whi ch we positioned 25 NKC markers. NKC genetically linked genes encode > 17 proteins that directly control innate NR cell-mediated tumor lysis and disease resistance. Herein we show that Nkrp1 genes are clustered in a region flanked by A2m and Cd69 genes and that most Ly49 genes are clustered in a distal region similar to 1 Mb distant. Importantly, sy ntenic intervals of mouse chromosome 6 and human chromosome 12p that i nclude the NKC are conserved. NKC species conservation suggests that t he human NKC may contain orthologues for the mouse viral disease resis tance genes, Cmv1 and Rmp1. The high-resolution NKC map will facilitat e investigation of NKC gene regulation and identification of phenotypi cally defined gene products that confer NR cell defense against viral pathogens. (C) 1997 Academic Press.