The major peripheral myelin protein zero gene: structure and localization in the cluster of Fc gamma receptor genes on human chromosome 1q21.3-q23.

We have characterized the human gene encoding the major peripheral myelin protein zero (P0) and assigned it, by in situ hybridization, to the q21.3-q23 region of human chromosome 1. This region is known to contain a cluster of interspersed genes coding for the related human leukocyte receptors of the Fc portion of the immunoglobulin G (Fc gamma RI, II, III). This colocalization was refined by the finding of a yeast artificial chromosome (YAC) of the Centre d'Etude du Polymorphisme Humain (CEPH) library, hybridizing to the P0 and Fc gamma RIIA genes, demonstrating their physical linkage. These data may have important implications in demyelinating diseases studies like Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 1B (CMT1B).