Localization of the casein gene family to a single mouse chromosome.

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Abstract
A series of mouse-hamster somatic cell hybrids containing a variable number of mouse chromosomes and a constant set of hamster chromosomes was used to determine the chromosomal location of a family of hormone-inducible genes, the murine caseins. Recombinant mouse c[complementary]DNA clones encoding the .alpha.-, .beta.- and .gamma.-caseins were constructed and used in DNA restriction mapping experiments. All 3 casein cDNA hybridized to the same set of somatic cell hybrid DNA isolated from cells containing mouse chromosome 5, while negative hybridization was observed to 10 other hybrid DNA isolated from cells lacking chromosome 5. A 4th cDNA clone, designated pCM .delta.40, which hybridized to an abundant 790 nucleotide poly(A)RNA isolated from 6-d lactating mouse mammary tissue, was also mapped to chromosome 5. The chromosomal assignment of the casein gene family was confirmed using a mouse albumin clone. The albumin gene was previously localized to mouse chromosome 5 by both breeding studies and analogous molecular hybridization experiments. Another hormone-inducible gene, specifying a 620 nucleotide abundant mammary gland mRNA, hybridized to DNA isolated from a different somatic cell hybrid line. These studies represent the 1st localization of a peptide and steroid hormone-responsive gene family to a single mouse chromosome.