Human HOXB cluster and the nerve growth factor receptor gene: comparison with an orthologous chromosomal domain in...

The structural organization and nucleotide sequence similarity of mammalian Antennapedia-class homeobox genes support the view that the four homeobox clusters (HOXA, B, C, and D on human chromosomes 7, 17, 12, and 2, respectively) arose through a combination of gene duplication and divergence to form a cluster, followed by several cluster duplications. The duplication events that gave rise to the four clusters appear to have involved chromosomal domains extending well beyond the borders of the clusters in either direction. This evidence arises from the observation that many genes closely linked to the homeobox clusters on different chromosomes show sequence similarity. Here, we present a continuation of physical mapping studies to determine the extent and organization of the duplicated regions surrounding the four homeobox clusters in human. Southern blots prepared from pulsed-field gels of human DNA were probed with cloned segments of human HOXB genes and the nerve growth factor receptor (NGFR) gene on chromosome 17q21-q22. Restriction enzyme analysis revealed the close physical linkage of these genes within 100 kb. Two yeast artificial chromosomes (YACs), 220 and 380 kb in size, were isolated using oligonucleotide primers specific for NGFR. Both YACs contained the entire HOXB cluster. Restriction mapping of the clones indicated that the distance separating these loci could not be greater than 50 kb. This result confirms and extends previous information on the proximity of these genes as determined by genetic linkage analysis and closely parallels the orthologous loci in the mouse.