Chromosomal localization of the human heme oxygenase genes: heme oxygenase-1 (HMOX1) maps to chromosome 22q12 and heme oxygenase-2 (HMOX2) maps to chromosome 16p13.3.

Heme oxygenase catalyzes the oxidation of heme to biliverdin, the precursor of the bile pigment bilirubin, and carbon monoxide, a putative neurotransmitter. We have employed polymerase chain reaction and fluorescence in situ hybridization to determine the chromosome localization of the genes coding for the two known heme oxygenase isozymes. Heme oxygenase-1 (HMOX1), the inducible form, was localized to human chromosome 22q12, while heme oxygenase-2 (HMOX2), the constitutive form, was localized to chromosome 16p13.3.