Human creatine kinase genes on chromosomes 15 and 19, and proximity of the gene for the muscle form to the genes for apolipoprotein C2 and excision repair.

The human chromosomal assignments of genes of the creatine kinase (CK) family--loci for brain (CKBB), muscle (CKMM), and mitochondrial (CKMT) forms--were studied by Southern filter hybridization analysis of DNAs isolated from a human x rodent somatic cell hybrid clone panel. Probes for the 3'-noncoding sequences of human CKBB and CKMM hybridized concordantly only to DNAs from somatic cell hybrids containing chromosomes 14 and 19, respectively. Thus the earlier assignment of the gene coding for the CKBB isozyme to chromosome 14 was confirmed by molecular means, as was the provisional assignment of CKMM to the long arm of chromosome 19. A probe containing canine sequences for CKMM cross-hybridized with human sequences on chromosomes 14 and 19, a result consistent with the assignments of CKBB and CKMM. A probe containing human sequences for CKMT enabled the provisional assignment of CKMT to human chromosome 15. Independent hybrids with portions of the long arm of chromosome 19 missing indicated the order of genes on the long arm of chromosome 19 as being cen-GPI-(TGFB, CYP1)-[CKMM, (APOC2-ERCC1)]-(CGB, FTL). The unexpectedly more distal location of APOC2 among the genes on the long arm--and APOC2's close association with CKMM--is discussed with respect to the close linkage relationship of APOC2 to myotonic muscular dystrophy.