Retrieval of human DNA from rodent-human genomic libraries by a recombination process

Human Alu repeat ("BLUR") sequences have been cloned into the mini-plasmid vector piVX. The resulting piBLUR clones have been used to rescue selectively, by recombination, bacteriophage carrying human DNA sequences from genomic libraries constructed using DNA from rodent-human somatic cell hybrids. piBLUR clones are able to retrieve human clones from such libraries because at least one Alu family repeat is present on most 15 to 20 kb fragments of human DNA and because of the relative species-specificity of the sequences comprising the Alu family. The rapid, selective plaque purification achieved results in the construction of a collection of recombinant phage carrying diverse human DNA inserts from a specific subset of the human karyotype. Subfragments of two recombinants rescued from a mouse-human somatic cell hybrid containing human chromosomes X, 10, 13, and 22 were mapped to human chromosomes X and 13, respectively, demonstrating the utility of this protocol for the isolation of human chromosome-specific DNA sequences from appropriate somatic cell hybrids.