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Human Genome News, April-June 1996; 7(6)
Most human genes are hundreds of thousands of bases away from the telomeres (chromosome ends). First identified by the LANL group in 1988, telomeres consist of a series of tandemly repeating DNA sequences such as (TTAGGG)n. The sequences in the subtelomeric regions consist of tandem arrays of more complex repeated sequences, which may act as a buffer to guard against the possible deleterious effects of telomere shortening. Recent studies have suggested that telomere size may be related to aging or the growth of cancer cells. The 7q telomere, however, lacks large blocks of subtelomeric repetitive DNA. This region was chosen as potentially interesting for analysis by SASE and complete sequencing because any genes or exons found here could be potential targets for alteration if telomere shortening or instability should occur.
Han-Chang Chi (LANL) reported on a successful application of SASE combined with parallel primer walking to determine the entire terminal 230-kb region of human chromosome 7q. Cosmid contigs were constructed from a human telomeric YAC clone; 9 overlapping cosmids were sequenced, with a gap resolved by long PCR. All sequences were assembled by either DNA STAR or AUTOASSEMBLER and analyzed by SCAN. SCAN uncovered numerous ESTs localized to this region, as well as 2 exons with 99% homology to the cDNA of a known human gene, vasoactive intestinal polypeptide receptor 2A.
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The electronic form of the newsletter may be cited in the following style:
Human Genome Program, U.S. Department of Energy, Human Genome News (v7n6).
The Human Genome Project (HGP) was an international 13-year effort, 1990 to 2003. Primary goals were to discover the complete set of human genes and make them accessible for further biological study, and determine the complete sequence of DNA bases in the human genome. See Timeline for more HGP history.
Published from 1989 until 2002, this newsletter facilitated HGP communication, helped prevent duplication of research effort, and informed persons interested in genome research.
