LOCALIZATION OF SOMATOSTATIN RECEPTOR GENES ON MOUSE CHROMOSOME-2, CHROMOSOME-11, CHROMOSOME-12, CHROMOSOME-15, AND CHROMOSOME-17 - CORRELATION WITH GROWTH QTLS

A major role of the peptide hormone somatostatin is inhibition of grow th hormone secretion. The effects of somatostatin are mediated through five distinct G-protein-coupled receptors, each of which is expressed in the pituitary gland and other tissues. Allelic variation in the fi ve somatostatin receptor genes (Smstr) could contribute to growth rate and overall body size. To evaluate this hypothesis we determined the chromosomal location of the Smstr genes. Restriction fragment length p olymorphisms and single-strand conformational polymorphisms were used to follow the segregation of each gene in interspecific mouse backcros ses. Smstr1 through Smstr5 were localized to mouse chromosomes 12, 11, 15, 2, and 17, respectively. None of the Smstr genes colocalized with single gene mutations that affect growth. However, growth is a quanti tative trait influenced by many genes and by the environment. Strains of mice selected for high and low growth have been exploited to identi fy chromosomal regions that modestly influence growth (J. Cheverud et al., 1996, Genetics 142: 1305-1319). Several Smstr genes map within th ese regions, suggesting that they be considered candidate genes for th ese quantitative trait loci. (C) 1997 Academic Press.