The small GTPase RAC3 gene is located within chromosome band 17q25.3 outside and telomeric of a region commonly deleted in breast and ovarian tumours.
The closely related small GTP-binding proteins Rac1, Rac2, and Rac3 are part of a larger Rho subfamily of Ras proteins. Because disruption of Ras signaling pathways is relevant to the pathogenesis of a wide variety of cancers, it is important to clearly define the structural and functional characteristics of the participating proteins and their encoding genes. Rho subfamily members are involved in a range of signal transduction pathways relevant to cell growth, differentiation, motility, and stress, and Rac proteins are now recognised as a necessary component of Ras-mediated cellular transformation. We previously mapped RAC3 to chromosome band 17q23--> q25, a region that contains a number of candidate tumour suppressor genes. Because of its oncogenic potential, we have now further refined the location of this gene. Here we confirm that RAC3 maps to chromosome band 17q25.3 and further show that it maps some distance telomeric of a well-characterised minimal breast and ovarian candidate tumour suppressor gene region, BROV. The genomic structure of RAC3, including exon and intron boundaries, is also presented.
Morris
C M
CM
Cytogenetic and Molecular Oncology Unit, Department of Pathology, Christchurch School of Medicine, Christchurch, New Zealand. Christine.Morris@chmeds.ac.nz
Haataja
L
L
McDonald
M
M
Gough
S
S
Markie
D
D
Groffen
J
J
Heisterkamp
N
N
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001483:Base Sequence; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics*; D002871:Chromosome Banding; D002872:Chromosome Deletion; D018244:Chromosomes, Artificial, Yeast / Q000235:genetics; D002886:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 17 / Q000235:genetics*; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D005091:Exons / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D016147:Genes, Tumor Suppressor / Q000235:genetics; D008040:Genetic Linkage / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D017404:In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence; D007438:Introns / Q000235:genetics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics*; D020161:Physical Chromosome Mapping; D016615:Telomere / Q000235:genetics; D020744:rac GTP-Binding Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*
C411563:RAC3 protein, human; D020744:rac GTP-Binding Proteins