New gene assignments to rabbit chromosomes; implications for chromosome evolution.

The genes for SOD1 and SOD2 (superoxide dismutases 1 and 2), RB1 (retinoblastoma), TYMS (thymidylate synthase), and TK1 (thymidine kinase) were mapped by in situ hybridization using biotinylated probes to rabbit chromosomes 6, 12, 8, 9, and 19, respectively. This confirms their proposed homoeologies with human chromosomes 21, 6, 13, 18, and 17, respectively, and provides additional information on the modification of these chromosomes during evolution.