DNA sequence polymorphism in an androgen-regulated gene is associated with alteration in the encoded RNAs.

We have used plasmid pMK908, whose cDNA insert corresponds to an androgen-inducible RNA from mouse kidney, as a probe to study both the complementary genomic DNA and the encoded RNA sequences in several inbred strains of mice. A polymorphism in the 908 structural gene, revealed by Southern blotting of HindIII-generated DNA fragments, was found to map near the Gpi-1 and Tam-1 loci on chromosome 7. The 908 structural gene has been termed RP2. The 908 RNAs constitute a sequence-related group displaying extensive size heterogeneity. This heterogeneity, reflected in the size distribution of the RNA on electrophoretic blots, is controlled by a genetic site that is tightly linked to RP2. Thus, associated with polymorphism at RP2 is a change in the molecular size pattern of encoded transcripts.