International Mammalian Genome Society

The 15th International Mouse Genome Conference (2001)

Table of Contents * Complex Genetics * Developmental Genetics * Gene Annotation * Gene Discovery * Genome Sequencing * Functional Genomics * Mutagenesis * Presentations * Verne Chapman Memorial Lecture

Kazuo Moriwaki
RIKEN-BioResource Center
Tsukuba

Co-Authors: Moriwaki,K.1), Hirai,K2)., Kohigashi,K.2), Miyashita,N.3), Kryukov,A.L.4), Frisman,L.V.4), Yamaguchi,Y2).
Institutions: 1) RIKEN-BioResource Center, Tsukuba; 2) Fukuyama University, Fukuyama; 3) Kagawa Medical College, Kagawa ; 4) Biology and Soil Science Institute, Uladivostok.

As already reported by us , Mus musculus species can be divided into at least three subspecies groups, domesticus, castaneus and musculus (Moriwaki et al, 1994), which were genetically differentiated roughly one million years ago. Castaneus group has w1- and p-haplotype beta-hemoglobin (Hbb) , while musculus group d-haplotype Hbb . Our recent molecular analysis of these Hbb DNAs revealed that the nucleotide sequence of Hbbp-b1 gene is almost similar to that of Hbbd-b1, and that of Hbbp-b2 to that of Hbbw1-b2. Thissuggests that p haplotype is a recombinant between b1-d and b2-w1 gene, probably between two subspecies groups, castaneus and musculus. Comparison in the nucleotide sequences of genomic DNA between Hbbp-b1 and Hbbd-b1 and also those between Hbbp-b2 and Hbbw1-b2 suggests that the recombination occurred more than 0.1 million years ago. Further analysis of nucleotide sequence of the intergenic region between b1 and b2 genes in p-haplotype samples obtained from several localities geographically apart demonstrated their common break point near the b1 gene. Those findings allow us to assume that the p-Hbb haplotype began to spread geographically quite recently in an evolutionally sense, though in this moment we can not pinpoint the area where the d-w1 recombination occurred.