Identification and genetic mapping of differentially expressed genes in mice differing at the If1 interferon regulatory locus

A subtractive cDNA library was used to identify differentially expressed genes in mouse strains that differ at If1, a locus that regulates response to interferon induction by Newcastle Disease Virus infection. Among the isolated clones, sequence analysis identified the ribosomal proteins L37a and S8 as well as cDNAs for thymosine β4, the QM transcriptional factor, and a novel genetic sequence. Analysis of two multilocus mouse crosses showed that the thymosine β4 gene, Ptmb4, is present as a single-copy gene that maps to distal Chr X. The L37a, S8, and QM clones are all members of large multilocus families. These five clones were used to determine the map locations for 37 loci, of which 31 had not previously been described. The novel genetic sequence, D3Ppr1, mapped to distal Chr 3 near the position of the If1 locus, suggesting it may be a candidate for this regulatory gene.