SEQUENCING OF THE OLFACTORY MARKER PROTEIN GENE IN NORMAL AND SHAKER-1 MUTANT MICE

The mouse olfactory marker protein gene (Omp) maps close to the deafness mutation shaker-1 (sh-1) and has been considered a candidate gene for both sh-1 and its potential human homolog, the deaf-blind syndrome Usher Type I. Using primers devised from the available rat Olfactory Marker Protein gene sequence, we have determined the coding sequence of the mouse gene in both control inbred strains and six shaker-1 mutants. The coding sequence of the mouse Omp gene shows 97% nucleotide identity and 98% amino acid identity with the rat gene sequence. No sequence variants were detected in the coding region of any of the sh-1 mutants, ruling out Omp as the shaker-1 gene.