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The homozygous loop-tail ( Lp ) mouse has a severe neural tube closure defect, analogous to the craniorachischisis phenotype seen in humans. Linkage analysis and physical mapping have previously localized the Lp locus to a region on mouse chromosome 1 defined by the markers D1Mit113–Tagln2. Here we report the construction of sequence-ready bacterial clone contigs encompassing the Lp critical region in both mouse and the orthologous human region (1q22–q23). Twenty-two genes, one EST, and one pseudogene have been identified using a combination of EST database screening, exon amplification, and genomic sequence analysis. The preliminary gene map is Cen– Estm33 –AA693056– Ly9–Cd48–Slam–Cd84–Kiaa1215–Nhlh1–Kiaa0253–Copa–Pxf–H326–Pea15–Casq1–Atp1a4–Atp1a2–Estm34–Kcnj9–Kcnj10–Kiaa1355–Tagln2–Nesg1–Crp –Tel. The genes between Slam and Kiaa1355 are positional candidates for Lp. The comparative gene content and order are identical between mouse and human, indicating a high degree of conservation between the two species in this region. Together, the physical and transcript maps described here serve as resources for the identification of the Lp mutation and further define the conservation of this genomic region between mouse and human.

The Lp mouse mutant provides a model for the severe human neural tube defect (NTD), cranio-rachischisis. To identify the Lp gene, a positional cloning approach has been adopted. Previously, linkage analysis in a large intraspecific backcross was used to map the Lp locus to distal mouse chromosome 1. Here we report a detailed physical map of this region. The interval surrounding Lp has been cloned in a yeast artificial chromosome (YAC) contig consisting of 63 clones spanning approximately 3.2 Mb. Fifty sequence tagged sites (STSs) have been used to construct the contig and establish marker order across the interval. Based on the high level of conserved synteny between distal mouse chromosome 1 and human 1q21-q24, many of these STSs were designed from expressed sequences identified by cross-screening human and mouse databases of expressed sequence tags. Added to other known genes in the region, a total of 29 genes were located and ordered within the contig. Seven novel polymorphisms were identified within the region, allowing refinement of the genetic map and a reduction in the size of the physical interval containing the Lp gene. The Lp interval, between D1Mit113 and Tagln2, can be spanned by two nonchimeric overlapping YACs that define a physical distance of approximately 1 Mb. Within this region, 10 potential candidate genes have been mapped. The materials and genes described here will provide a resource for the identification and further study of the mutated Lp gene that causes this severe neural tube defect and will provide candidates for other defects known to map to the homologous region on human chromosome 1q.

SM22alpha (TAGLN) is one of the earliest markers of differentiated smooth muscle, being expressed exclusively in the smooth muscle cells of adult tissues and transiently in embryonic skeletal and cardiac tissues. We have identified and mapped the mouse Tagln gene and a closely related gene, Sm22alpha homolog (Tagln2). The chromosomal localization for Tagln was identified by linkage analysis to distal mouse chromosome 9 between D9Mit154 and D9Mit330, closely linked to the anchor locus D9Nds10. The localization of Tagln2 was also determined and was found to map between Fcgr2 and D1Mit149 on distal mouse chromosome 1. This localization is homologous to a region of human 1q21-q25 to which an EST representing human TAGLN2 was previously mapped. The two regions, distal mouse chromosome 1 and proximal mouse chromosome 9, and the human regions with conserved synteny (1q21-q25 and 11q22-qter) are believed to be paralogous, reflecting either conserved remnants of duplicated chromosomes or segments of chromosomes during vertebrate evolution.

A genetic basis for neural tube defects (NTD) is rarely doubted, but the genes involved have not yet been identified. This is partly due to a lack of suitable families on which to perform linkage analysis. An alternative approach is to use the many mouse genes that cause NTD as a means of isolating their human homologues. Loop-tail (Lp) is a semidominant mouse gene that, in homozygous mutants, causes the severe NTD phenotype cranio-rachischisis. As a first step toward cloning Lp, we have performed linkage analysis on an intraspecific backcross, using microsatellite and RFLP DNA markers. This study has localized Lp to a region of approximately 1.46 cM on mouse chromosome 1, flanked by the gene for the {alpha} chain of high-affinity Fc receptor for IgE (Fcer1{alpha}) and a microsatellite repeat D1Mit113. Physical mapping data in the region suggest that the interval is likely to be no more than 1.8 Mb in size. The localization is several centimorgans distal to that previously assigned by linkage studies with biochemical and visible markers and suggests that the human homologue of Lp is likely to reside in a region of conserved homology on 1q21-q23. 36 refs., 3 figs., 3 tabs.

We describe the cloning and characterization of a novel member of the immunoglobulin superfamily, Igsf9. The predicted protein structure of IGSF9 closely matches that of the neural cell-adhesion molecule (NCAM) subfamily, consisting of an extracellular region containing five immunoglobulin domains and two fibronectin type III (FnIII) repeats, a transmembrane region, and a cytoplasmic tail. We have also characterized the orthologous human IGSF9 gene at 1q22-q23, revealing a highly conserved sequence and genomic organization. Expression of Igsf9 was detected by RT-PCR in mouse embryonic RNA from embryonic day (E) 7.5 to E16.5, while whole-mount in situ hybridization at E10.5 shows intense expression within the dorsal root ganglia, trigeminal ganglia, and olfactory epithelium, and less intense expression in the neuroepithelium, retina, and hindgut. In the human, transcription was detected in a wide variety of fetal tissues at both 8 and 14 weeks. Protein homology of IGSF9 is most similar to the Drosophila melanogaster Turtle protein that functions in coordinated motor output in complex behaviors.

Circletail (Crc) is a new mouse mutant that exhibits a severe form of neural tube defect, craniorachischisis, in which almost the entire neural tube fails to close. This phenotype is seen in very few other mutants, the best characterized of which is loop-tail (Ltap(Lp), referred to hereafter as Lp). We tested the possibility of allelism between Lp and Crc by intercrossing Lp/+ and Crc/+mice. A proportion of double heterozygotes (Lp/+,Crc/+) exhibit craniorachischisis, revealing failure of complementation. However, genetic analysis shows that Crc is not linked to the markers that flank the Lp locus and cannot, therefore, be an allele of Lp. A genome-wide scan has localized the Crc gene to a region of 8.8 cM on central chromosome 15. Partial penetrance of the craniorachischisis phenotype in Crc/+,Lp/+double heterozygotes suggests the existence of a third, unlinked genetic locus that influences the interaction between Crc and Lp.

The major gene for neural tube defects, ct, in the curly-tail (CT) mouse strain was mapped previously to mouse chromosome 4 by combining linkage data from several backcrosses. The penetrance of the neural tube trait, already incomplete in the CT strain, was further reduced in several of these backcrosses, suggesting the existence of recessive modifiers or strain-specific susceptibility alleles. Here we describe the mapping of a curly-tail modifier locus, mct1, to chromosome 17 in moderate and low penetrance crosses of CT with BALB/cByJ and Mus spretus. No effect of mct1 was seen in a higher penetrance cross with the BXD-8/Ty strain, confirming that ct is the major gene in the model. Homozygosity at both ct and mct1 loci was sufficient to account for all of the affected individuals in the BALB/cByJ cross and most of the affected individuals in the M. spretus cross and was the preferred model overall. No evidence was found for epistatic interaction between ct and mct1.