Mapping of human WHN gene in a 17q11.2 YAC contig and identification of an intragenic STR

The recently isolated human WHN gene has been previously assigned to chromosome 17q11-12 using radiation hybrids. In this study, we constructed a YAC contig covering 17q11.2 between crystallinBA1 and neurofibromatosis 1 genes. By ordering known and novel markers, we determined the position of the WHN gene, and of the closely linked retinal 4 and sodium/dicarboxylate cotransporter genes. We also identified a new mononucleotide polymorphism contained within the untranslated exon 1 of the WHN gene, which may be useful for linkage and LOH studies.