CHROMOSOMAL ASSIGNMENT OF A LARGE TRANSFER-RNA GENE-CLUSTER (TRANSFER RNALEU, TRANSFER RNAGLN, TRANSFER RNALYS, TRANSFER RNAARG, TRANSFER RNAGLY) TO 17P13.1

A cluster of tRNA genes (tRNA(UAG)Leu, tRNA(CUG)Gln, tRNA(UUU)Lys, tRNA(UCU)Arg and an adjacent tRNA(GCC)Gly have been assigned to human chromosome 17p12-p13.1 by in situ hybridization using a 4.2 kb human DNA fragment for tRNA(Leu), tRNA(Gln), tRNA(Lys), tRNA(Arg), and, for tRNA(Gly), 1.3 kb and 0.58 kb human DNA fragments containing these genes as probes. This localization was confirmed and refined to 17p13.100-p13.105 using a somatic cell hybrid mapping panel. Preliminary experiments with the biotinylated tRNA Leu, Gln, Lys, Arg probe and metaphase spreads from other great apes suggest the presence of a hybridization site on the long arm of gorilla (Gorilla gorilla) chromosome 19 and the short arm of orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus) chromosome 19 providing further support for homology between HSA17, GGO19 and PPY19.