The IL-4 and IL-5 genes are closely linked and are part of a cytokine gene cluster on mouse chromosome 11.
The murine IL-4 and IL-5 genes encode hemopoietic growth factors involved in the stimulation, proliferation, and differentiation of cells of the T lymphocyte, B lymphocyte, and granulocyte lineages. We have mapped the Il-4 and Il-5 loci representing the structural genes for IL-4 and IL-5, respectively, to mouse chromosome 11 using Chinese hamster x mouse and rat x mouse somatic cell hybrids. Physical linkage studies of the IL-4 and IL-5 genes by pulsed field gel electrophoresis have shown that they are closely linked, being 110-180 kb apart. Since the Il-5 locus maps to the interface of bands A5 and B1 in the same location as the genes for IL-3 and GM-CSF, this places these three cytokine genes, as well as the IL-4 gene, within a region of about 5000-10,000 kb. The present physical linkage studies indicate that the IL-4 and IL-5 genes are a minimum of 600 kb apart from the closely linked IL-3 and GM-CSF genes. The gene clustering, together with similarities in gene structure, regulation, and biological function, raises the possibility that the four genes may be part of a distantly related cytokine gene family.
Lee
J S
JS
Medical Molecular Biology, John Curtin School of Medical Research, Australian National University, Canberra ACT.
Campbell
H D
HD
Kozak
C A
CA
Young
I G
IG
D000818:Animals; D005075:Biological Evolution; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D015342:DNA Probes; D004586:Electrophoresis / Q000379:methods; D008040:Genetic Linkage; D006822:Hybrid Cells; D015847:Interleukin-4; D015848:Interleukin-5; D007378:Interleukins / Q000235:genetics*; D051379:Mice; D005810:Multigene Family
D015342:DNA Probes; D015848:Interleukin-5; D007378:Interleukins; D015847:Interleukin-4