A high-resolution map of the regulator of the complement activation gene cluster on 1q32 that integrates new genes and markers

Sixteen microsatellite markers, including two described here, were used to construct a high-resolution map of the 1q32 region encompassing the regulator of the complement activation (RCA) gene cluster. The RCA genes are a group of related genes coding for plasma and membrane associated proteins that collectively control activation of the complement component C3. We provide here the location of two new genes within the RCA gene cluster. These genes are PFKFB2 that maps 15 kilobases (kb) upstream of the C4BPB gene, and a gene located 4 kb downstream of C4BPA, which seems to code for the 72 000 M-r component of the signal recognition particle (SRP72). Neither of these two genes is related structurally or functionally to the RCA genes. In addition, our map shows the centromere-telomere orientation of the C4BPB/MCP linkage group, which is: centromere-PFKFB2-C4BPB-C4BPA-SRP72-C4BPAL1-C4BPAL2-telomere, and outlines an interval with a significant female-male recombination difference which suggests the presence of a female-specific hotspot(s) of recombination.