Assignment of the NTRK4 (trkE) gene to chromosome 6p21

Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reactions using foetal brain RNA with reverse and forward primers of the first, second and third NTRK4 region allowed us to obtain three amplified NTRK4 fragments. The specificity of amplified fragments was checked by digestion with restriction endonucleases AvrII, HindIII and PspII for the first, second and third regions, respectively. Each restriction site was specific for each amplified fragment. The fragment of the NTRK4 first region was also sequenced and the sequence determined was identical to the human NTRK4 sequence. The three amplified fragments were cloned in pBS. For the Southern technique, plasmid pBS-NTRK4a (with an insert of 1052 bp) detected a human 9-kb HindIII sequence which was localised unambiguously on chromosome 6. For fluorescence in situ hybridisation, the three plasmids, pBS-NTRK4a, pBS-NTRK4b (insert 924 bp) and pBS-NTRK4c (insert 1114 bp) were pooled and used as a probe. This NTRK4 probe was localised on 6p21. Of 50 metaphases analysed, 49 contained twin spot signals on both sister chromatids.