CHROMOSOMAL LOCALIZATION OF THE HUMAN AND MOUSE HYALURONAN SYNTHASE GENES

We have recently identified a new vertebrate gene family encoding puta tive hyaluronan (HA) synthases. Three highly conserved related genes h ave been identified, designated HAS1, HAS2, and HAS3 in humans and Has 1, Has2, and Has3 in the mouse, All three genes encode predicted plasm a membrane proteins with multiple transmembrane domains and approximat ely 25% amino acid sequence identity to the Streptococcus pyogenes HA synthase, HasA. Furthermore, expression of any one AAS gene in transfe cted mammalian cells leads to high levels of HA biosynthesis. We now r eport the chromosomal localization of the three HAS genes in human and in mouse. The genes localized to three different positions within bot h the human and the mouse genomes. HAS1 was localized to the human chr omosome 19q13.3-q13.4 boundary and Has1 to mouse Chr 17. HAS2 was loca lized to human chromosome 8q24.12 and Has2 to mouse Chr 15. HAS3 was l ocalized to human chromosome 16q22.1 and Has3 to mouse Chr 8, The map position for HAS1 reinforces the recently reported relationship betwee n a small region of human chromosome 19q and proximal mouse chromosome 17, HAS2 mapped outside the predicted critical region delineated for the Langer-Giedion syndrome and can thus be excluded as a candidate ge ne for this genetic syndrome. (C) 1997 Academic Press.