Localization of Chinese hamster dihydrofolate reductase gene to band p23 of chromosome 2.

It has been shown that gamma irradiation causes extensive deletions at the dihydrofolate reductase (dhfr) locus in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. We have analyzed seventeen DHFR-negative (DHFR-) mutants of CHO cells for cytogenetic alterations involving the dhfr locus on chromosome 2. Five DHFR- mutants contained the same large deletion [del(2)(p16p23)] in the short arm of chromosome 2. This deletion comprised about 18% of the short arm and was estimated to be 41,000 kb in length. Four other DHFR- mutants contained smaller deletions of about 9200 kb. One of these mutants had a partial deletion of bands 2p22 and 2p23, whereas the others showed deletion of band 2p23. Inversions of chromosome 2 were seen in two other DHFR- mutants. An analysis of the breakpoints involved in these cytogenetic alterations indicates that the hamster dhfr gene resides in band p23 of chromosome number 2.