title: Source and component genes of a 6-200 Mb gene cluster in the house mouse.
abstract: We identified and analyzed the genes Sp100, Csprs, and Ifi75 in two members of the genus Mus, M. musculus and M. caroli. Sp100 is a nuclear dot gene; Csprs and Ifi75 are novel genes encoding a putative G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR) and a putative transcriptional coactivator, respectively. A fourth gene, Sp100-rs, occurs in M. musculus, but not in M. caroli. Sp100-rs is a chimeric gene which arose by fusion of Sp100 and Csprs copies. Sp100-rs and Ifi75 are components of a repeat cluster that extends over 6-200 Mb of the M. musculus genome. The Sp100-rs fusion gene arose only 1-2 million years ago and has become fixed and amplified in M. musculus. Although the gene is transcribed, it appears to have no function. The repeat cluster may have become fixed in the species as a 'hitchhiker' in a 'selective sweep'.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Biologie, Medizinische Universität zu Lübeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, D-23538 Lübeck, Germany. weichenh@molbio.muluebeck.de
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Weichenhan
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kunze
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Winking
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: van Geel
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Osoegawa
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: de Jong
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Traut
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D034961:Antigens, Nuclear; D001483:Base Sequence; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D005091:Exons / Q000235:genetics; D018628:Gene Dosage; D016678:Genome; D051379:Mice / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D005810:Multigene Family / Q000235:genetics*; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface / Q000235:genetics*; D043562:Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D034961:Antigens, Nuclear; C465034:Csprs protein, mouse; C465035:Ifi75 protein, mouse; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface; D043562:Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled; C092315:Sp100 protein, mouse; D015534:Trans-Activators