Genomic organization of the selectin family of leukocyte adhesion molecules on human and mouse chromosome

A structurally and functionally related group of genes, lymph node homing receptor (LHR), granule membrane protein 140 (GMP-140), and endothelial leukocyte adhesion molecule 1 (ELAM-1) are shown to constitute a gene cluster on mouse and human chromosome 1. In situ hybridization mapped GMP-140 to human chromosome 1 bands 21-24 consistent with chromosomal localization of LHR. Gene linkage analysis in the mouse indicated that these genes and serum coagulation factor V (FV) all map to a region of distal mouse chromosome 1 that is syntenic with human chromosome 1, with no crossovers identified between these four genes in 428 meiotic events. Moreover, long range restriction site mapping demonstrated that these genes map to within 300 kb in both the human and mouse genomes. These data suggest that LHR, ELAM-1, and GMP-140 comprise an adhesion protein family, the selectins, that arose by multiple gene duplication events before divergence of mouse and human. Furthermore, the location of these genes on mouse and human chromosome 1 is consistent with a close evolutionary relationship to the complement receptor-related genes, which also are positioned on the same chromosomes in both species and with which these genes share a region of sequence homology. These data characterize the organization of a genomic region that may be critical for intercellular communication within the immune system.