Assignment of neuronal pentraxin I (NPTX1) gene to porcine chromosome 12pter by somatic cell and radiation hybrid panel mapping

The neuronal pentraxin I belongs to a family of functionally diverse proteins sharing some structural features like the formation of pentrameric complexes (Goodman et al., 1996). The NPTX1 gene is expressed in neurons and the protein was shown to bind the presynaptic toxin taipoxin. Therefore it is supposed to play a role in mediating synaptic uptake. The mouse and human neuronal pentraxin I genes were assigned to chromosomes 11E and 17q25 respectively. The mapping of the NPTX1 gene to the human chromosome regions for RusselSilver syndrome and campomelic dysplasia-1 makes it a potential candidate for genetic disorders (Omeis et al., 1996). The gene including the 5)and 3)-UTR is highly conserved among different species. The mapping of the porcine gene will enable further investigations on its possible role in inherited diseases.