MAPPING OF THE MOUSE HOMOLOG OF THE WILSON DISEASE GENE TO MOUSE CHROMOSOME-8

ATP7B, the gene altered in Wilson disease (WD) patients, lies in a block of homology shared between human chromosome 13q14 and the central region of mouse chromosome 14. However, we have mapped the murine homologue of ATP7B (Atp7b) to mouse chromosome 8 by somatic cell hybrid analysis, Analysis of 80 interspecific backcross offspring was used to position Atp7b close to D8Mit3 and another ATPase locus, Atp4b, on mouse chromosome 8. ATP4B lies in 13q34 and is separated from ATP7B by several loci whose mouse homologues map to mouse chromosome 14. The assignment of Atp7b to mouse chromosome 8 identifies a previously unrecognized region of homology between this chromosome and human chromosome 13. This assignment suggests a possible location for the toxic milk mutation in the mouse, which has been proposed as a homologue of WD. (C) 1995 Academic Press,Inc.