Characterization of a 500-kb contig spanning the region between c-Ha-Ras and MUC2 on chromosome 11p15.5.

The 11p15.5 region is associated with a broad range of diseases, including childhood acute myeloid leukemia; non-small cell lung carcinoma; arthrogryposis multiplex congenita, distal type 2B; and bladder cancer. Since targets for these diseases are unknown, we have constructed a physical map consisting of BAC and PAC clones spanning the region from the HRAS1 gene to the cluster of mucin genes on 11p15.5. The contig spans approximately 500 kb and includes 13 genes (9 novel), 9 STSs (5 novel), and 1 SNP and builds upon a published physical map spanning the region from the telomere to the HRAS gene. In addition, we expand the mucin gene cluster located on 11p15.5 to include a novel mucin-like gene (MUCDHL) located less than 250 kb telomeric to MUC6. The identification of potential disease genes within an organizational and evolutionary context provides valuable clues to function and as such will benefit our understanding of this region of the genome.