The structure of a thirty-six kilobase region of the human chromosome including the fibroblast interferon gene IFN-beta.

The isolation of a human genomic cosmid hybrid containing the interferon beta gene has recently been reported (Gross et al., 1981). This hybrid was mapped using single and double digests and cross-hybridisation with the sub-cloned EcoRI and BgIII fragments. Purified fragments and subclones were used as hybridisation probes against chromosomal "Southern" blots to show that at least half of the region has been cloned without alteration. This cannot at present be confirmed for the rest of the region due to the presence of highly repetitive DNA on these cloned fragments. Sequencing data on the 5'-end of the fibroblast IFN-beta gene shows a high density of direct and inverted repeats. The IFN-beta mRNA coding region contains no intron, although the possibility of other transcription starts is not ruled out. The cloned region shows no similarities to known genomic clones containing IFN-alpha genes.