Assignment of a gene for uridine diphosphate galactose-4-epimerase to human chromosome 1 by somatic cell hybridization, with evidence for a regional assignment to 1pter yields 1p21.

The presence of human uridine diphosphate galactose-4-epimerase (GALE) was found to correlate with the presence of chromosome 1 in somatic cell hybrids between man and mouse. The gene for GALE can therefore be assigned to human chromosome 1. Using a chromosome 1 rearrangement, we have been able to regionally assign GALE to the pter yields p21 region.

The Philadelphia variant of galactokinase.

We have previously reported the existence of a polymorphism that causes black populations to have lower mean RBC galactokinase activity than comparable white populations. We have designated this allele the Philadelphia variant, GALKP, and have suggested that it is common in blacks and rare in whites. GALKP individuals have normal WBC GALK activity, in contrast to the half normal WBC GALK activities of heterozygotes for the allele (GALKG) that causes the galactokinase-deficient form of galactosemia. In one family, we have presented evidence for the existence of two sisters heterozygous for both GALKG and GALKP alleles. These individuals have 50% normal WBC GALK activity and less than 50% normal red cell activity. The latter finding indicates that the two variant GALK alleles additively affect RBC activity. The WBC results suggest that the low activity of GALK in RBC of individuals with the GALKP allele is due to its relative instability. We could obtain no evidence for such instability from studies of high reticulocyte bloods or RBC fractionation. Furthermore, we could not demonstrate that the GALK in WBC from GALKP individuals has altered electrophoretic migration.

Synteny of the genes for thymidine kinase and galactokinase in the mouse and their assignment to mouse chromosome 11.

We have studied the expression of mouse galactokinase in human-mouse somatic cell hybrids segregating mouse chromosomes. Since concordant segregation of the expression of mouse galactokinase and the presence of mouse chromosome 11 were observed in the hybrid clones, we conclude that the gene for mouse galactokinase is located on mouse chromosome 11. We have also investigated the expression of mouse galactokinase in somatic cell hybrids between thymidine kinase-deficient Chinese hamster cells and mouse peritoneal macrophages. The results of this study indicate that the expression of mouse galactokinase and thymidine kinase segregates concordantly, and, therefore, we infer that the gene for mouse thymidine kinase is also located on mouse chromosome 11.

Linkage relationship between the genes for thymidine kinase and galactokinase in different primates.

In this study we investigated the expression of primate galactokinase in somatic cell hybrids between a thymidine kinase-deficient mouse cell line and two different primate cell lines, one of which was derived from African green monkey kidney cells and the other from chimpanzee fibroblasts. All the African green monkey-mouse hybrid clones, selected in HAT medium, expressed monkey galactokinase activity and contained a monkey chromosome similar to a human E-group chromosome. When these clones were backselected in medium containing 5-bromodeoxyuridine, both this chromosome and the monkey galactokinase activity were lost. All the hybrid clones between mouse and chimpanzee cells, which were selected in HAT medium, contained the chimpanzee chromosome 17 and expressed chimpanzee galactokinase activity. These results indicate that the linkage relationship between galactokinase and thymidine kinase has been maintained in 3 divergent primate species--man, chimpanzee, and Old World monkey.

Assignment of the human gene for hexose-1-phosphate uridylyltransferase to chromosome 3.

Mouse-human hybrid clones were tested for the presence of human hexose-1-phosphate uridylyl-transferase (EC 2.7.7.12;UDPglucose:alpha-D-galactose-1-phosphate uridylyltransferase). Two criteria, starch gel electrophoresis and double-immunodiffusion against a human transferase-specific antibody, were used to identify human enzyme in the hybrid clones. Seventeen of 33 hybrid clones analyzed were found to contain human transferase by both criteria. Karyological analysis of the hybrid clones showed concordant segregation of human transferase with human chromosome 3. Human galactokinase was asyntenic with human transferase. We thus assign this gene to human chromosome 3.