Human endogenous retroviral element k10 (HERV-K10): chromosomal localization by somatic hybrid mapping and fluorescence in situ hybridization.

The human endogenous retrovirus K10 (HERV-K10) was mapped to human chromosomes using HERV-K10 specific PCR primers on a somatic hybrid mapping panel. A non-random chromosomal location was demonstrated with PCR signals on chromosomes 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 19, 20, 21, 22 and Y. There was a lack of PCR products on the other chromosomes, even after hybridization with a HERV-K10 specific probe. To further localize the HERV-K10 sequence we used fluorescence in situ hybridization. Chromosomes 1, 3, 6, 7, 10, 11, 12 and 22 were found to contain several HERV-K10 sequences in different regions. The presence of several integration sites on some chromosomes is consistent with previous studies demonstrating 30-50 copies of the HERV-K10 sequence per haploid genome. The mapping information reported in this study will assist the analysis of the biological significance of the HERV-K10 sequence.