Rapid Communication: The Human FEMI B Gene Maps to Chromosome lSq22 and Is Excluded as the Gene for Bardet-Biedl Syndrome, Type 4

Abstract

We have identified a novel human gene, FEMIB, that encodes a protein virtually identical to that encoded by the mouse gene Fem1b. These mammalian proteins are homo logs of the FEM-1 protein of Caenorhabditis elegans, which acts as a signal-transduction component within the nematode sex-determination pathway. We report here the mapping of FEM1B to chromosome 15q22, a region that is homologous to the region of mouse chromosome 9, where Fem1b resides. The BBS4 locus, one of the loci causing the autosomal recessive Bardet-Biedl syndrome, maps to this region of chromosome 15. Therefore, we sought to determine whether the FEMI B gene might be involved in this disorder. Radiation hybrid mapping demonstrates that FEM1 B does not reside within the interval of chromosome 15 containing the BBS4 locus.