Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge 02139, USA.
Gene mapping, using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) on DNA obtained from a human/rodent hybrid cell line carrying only the human chromosome 21, permitted the assignment of the human IsK gene, encoding a slowly activating potassium channel, to chromosome 21. PCR analysis of two complete panels of human/rodent hybrid DNA mapped IsK to chromosome 21 with 100% concordance. By performing PCR on DNA of a human chromosome 21 regional mapping panel the gene was sublocalized to chromosome 21q22.1-q22.2, which also contains the putative Down's syndrome (trisomy 21) region. The PCR product obtained from the hybrid cell line DNA carrying only human chromosome 21 was sequenced, thus confirming that the PCR product was derived from human IsK.