Heat shock protein 27 gene: chromosomal and molecular location and relationship to Williams syndrome

Heat shock protein 27 (HSP27) is one of a number of actin-binding proteins that regulate actin polymerization. Three related HSP27 sequences had previously been mapped to chromosomes 3, 9, and X. We have used fluorescent in-situ hybridization (FISH) to correct and refine the map position of the transcribed HSP27 gene (locus HSPB1) to chromosome 7q11.23. This band also contains the site of the deletion associated with Williams syndrome (WS). To define the relationship between HSP27 and the WS deletion, we used two-color FISH on previously G-banded and photographed metaphase chromosomes from WS cell-lines and peripheral blood. Six WS patients with longer deletions that extend telomeric to the classical WS deletion region were analyzed for deletion length using HSP27, cosmids generated from P193O22 (cos11) and B350L10 (cos64 and 82), B350L10, B161A02, and B363M4. The BAC 363M4 was selected from the Washington University database and contains HSP27. Our results indicated that HSP27 was deleted in three patients and that HSP27 is telomeric to cos11, cos64, cos82, and B350L10. B363M4 was demonstrated to overlap the telomeric end of B161A02 and HSP27 may be contained partially within the telomeric end of B161A02. The possible role of HSP27 in the cognitive features of WS is discussed.