Expression and chromosome localization of the murine cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator

A 13.5-kb genomic fragment of the mouse cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene was isolated from a C57BL/6J liver DNA library, using a human CFTR exon 10 probe. This region of the human gene includes the most common cystic fibrosis mutation (deletion of the Phe508 residue) in the first nucleotide binding domain of CFTR. Sequence analysis demonstrated 87% identity between the predicted mouse and the normal human CFTR exon 10 sequences, including conservation of the Phe508 residue. Northern analysis revealed that the mouse gene is expressed in intestine, lung, stomach, kidney, and salivary gland. In contrast to human CFTR, murine CFTR transcripts were not detectable by Northern analysis in the liver or pancreas. More sensitive PCR analysis, however, revealed that the mouse CFTR gene is weakly expressed in other tissues, including liver and pancreas. During development, mouse CFTR transcripts were observed as early as Embryonic Day 13. Southern analysis of mouse x Chinese hamster somatic cell hybrid DNAs mapped the mouse CFTR locus (Cftr) to Chromosome 6 (Chr 6). Subsequent typing of the progeny of an interspecies backcross revealed that Cftr is closely linked to the proto-oncogene c-met locus (Met) in the centromeric region of mouse Chr 6, consistent with the observation that there is a conserved chromosomal segment on human chromosome 7 and mouse Chr 6.