Assignment of S0X1 to platypus chromosome 20q by fluorescence in situhybridization

摘要

The platypus belongs to the subclass of monotreme mammals that is most distantly related to humans, so data on gene arrangement and sequence will be of unique value for comparative studies. Sequencing of the platypus genome (www.genome.gov/12512287) is almost complete. The task is now to identify comparative anchor points on the platypus genome, which is almost entirely unmapped. We isolated and mapped a platypus BAC containing S0X1 (SRY-like HMG box containing gene 1). SOX1 has roles in neural cell fate determination and lens development, and orthologues are highly conserved throughout vertebrates. The assignment of SOX1 in this study is the first gene from human chromosome 13 to be mapped in platypus and the first sequence mapped to platypus chromosome 20. SOX1 will therefore provide a valuable anchor locus for aligning the platypus and human genomes.