Abstract
The ability of bacterial restriction endonuclease to recognize specific senuences in DNA makes them a potent tool for dissection of the human nenome. The organization of ribosomal nenes in normal and neoplastic human tissues has been studied by the restriction of purified DNA. Franments of DNA produced by the restriction endonucleases EcoRI and HindIII were separated accordinn to size by agarose gel electronhoresis. DNA franments which contained ribosomal genes were identified by hybridization to 125I-labelled human ribosomal RNA and autoradiography. Analysis of these studies showed that EcoRI cleaves ribosomal DNA from human spleen into fragments of three sizes (molecular weights 12, 5, and 4.2 × 106). Digestion with HindIII yields fragments of two sizes (molecular weights 9.3, and 8.4 × 106). These data permit the construction of a single map for the human ribosomal gene of 17 × 106 daltons. A similar analysis of human DNA from several fibroblast and tumor cell lines shows variation only at a single EcoRI site. Despite marked alterations in karyotype, the organization of ribosomal nenes has been strongly conserved in the neoplastic tissues so far examined.
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Wilson, G., Hollar, B., Knoller, H. et al. 572 THE MOLECULAR ANATOMY OF A HUMAN GENE. Pediatr Res 12 (Suppl 4), 459 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-197804001-00577
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-197804001-00577