Chromosomal localization of human cellular homologues of two viral oncogenes

• DOI: 10.1038/299747a0
• Publication Date: 2004-11-17T22:03:50Z
• Authors: Nora Heisterkamp; John Groffen; John R. Stephenson; N. K. Spurr; P. N. Goodfellow; E. Solomon; B. Carritt; W. F. Bodmer
• Keywords: Proto-Oncogenes

Acute transforming RNA tumour viruses represent genetic recombinants between type C retro viral sequences and transformation-specific sequences of cellular origin. Of the known mammalian cell-derived transforming genes (oncogenes), two have been shown to encode proteins with either intrinsic or highly associated tyrosine-specific protein kinase activity. One such gene, c-fes, is of cat cellular origin, while the second, c-abl, was derived from mouse cellular sequences. We now show that the human equivalents of c-fes and c-abl are localized on human chromosomes 15 and 9, respectively. These findings exclude the possibility that these transformation-related genes are clustered at a single locus within the human genome. It is of interest that both of these chromosomes are involved in specific rearrangements found in certain forms of human cancer.