A sequence-based map of the nine genes of the human interleukin-1 cluster

Six novel genes encoding proteins with the interleukin (IL)-1 fold have been identified recently. The classical family members are involved in inflammatory signaling. Previous work has placed the novel genes close to or within the same cluster as IL1A, IL1B, and IL1RN, which occupy an approximately 400-kb interval on chromosome 2. We have combined the incomplete public database sequence with our own sequence to generate a reference sequence and map that encompass all of the novel genes, allowing determination of the gene structures, precise localization of exons, and determination of distances between conventional SNP and microsatellite markers. Gene order from centromere to telomere is IL1A-IL1B-IL1F7-IL1F9-IL1F6-IL1F8-IL1F5-IL1F10-IL1RN, of which only IL1A, IL1B, and IL1F8 are transcribed towards the centromere. The gene order relates to the evolutionary relationship between the genes. Key features of exon boundaries are conserved. There is no evidence for other IL-1 family members within the cluster.