MAPPING OF THE FOCAL ADHESION KINASE (FADK) GENE TO MOUSE CHROMOSOME-15 AND HUMAN-CHROMOSOME-8

Focal adhesion kinase (pp125FAK or FAK) is a cytoplasmic protein-tyrosine kinase stimulated in response to cell interactions with extracellular matrix components and by exposure to a variety of agonists, including neuropeptides. FAK lacks Src-homology SH2 and SH3 domains, is highly conserved across species, and may re-present the prototype for a tyrosine kinase family involved in novel signal transduction pathways. We have identified sequence variants in the 3' untranslated regions of the focal adhesion kinase gene in mice and used a PCR-based oligonucleotide hybridization assay to map the mouse gene (Fadk) to Chromosome (Chr) 15 distal to the myelocytomatosis protooncogene (Myc). The human homolog (PTK2) has been assigned to human Chr 8 on a panel of somatic hybrid cell lines. On the basis of synteny of mouse and human chromosomal maps, the position of the human PTK2 gene probably corresponds to human Chr 8q24-qter.