Mapping immunoglobulin gene-related DNA probes to the central region of normal and pericentrically inverted human chromosome 2.

Several immunoglobulin kappa-related sequences were transposed in evolution from the short arm to the long arm of chromosome 2. The common pericentric inversion of this chromosome found in present-day populations results in an apparent reinversion of those sequences to the short arm and the transposition of the kappa and CD8 alpha loci to the long arm. This is shown by in situ hybridization and PFGE experiments with hybridization probes from both arms of chromosome 2, i.e., from 2cen-p12 and 2cen-q13. The inversion breakpoints lie outside of all hybridization sites, and the inversion is described as inv(2)(p12q14). The possibility of common breakpoints in ancient and present-day pericentric inversions is discussed.