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The neurobeachin gene spans the common fragile site FRA13A

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Abstract

Common fragile sites are normal constituents of chromosomal structure prone to chromosomal breakage. In humans, the cytogenetic locations of more than 80 common fragile sites are known. The DNA at 11 of them has been defined and characterized at the molecular level. According to the Genome Database, the common fragile site FRA13A maps to chromosome band 13q13.2. Here, we identify the precise genomic position of FRA13A, and characterize the genetic complexity of the fragile DNA sequence. We show that FRA13A breaks are limited to a 650 kb region within the neurobeachin (NBEA) gene, which genomically spans approximately 730 kb. NBEA encodes a neuron-specific multidomain protein implicated in membrane trafficking that is predominantly expressed in the brain and during development.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Sander Stiftung and by the Cooperation Program in Cancer Research of the Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum (DKFZ) and Israel’s Ministry of Science (MOS). The fruitful discussions with many colleagues during the FRAGILOME meeting in Heidelberg, February 17–19, 2005, organised through a Grant of COST B19, http://www.dkfz.de/tumour_genetics/fragilome.htm are highly appreciated.

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  1. Division of Tumor Genetics, German Cancer Research Center, Im Neuenheimer Feld 280, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany

    Larissa Savelyeva, Evgeny Sagulenko, Jens Guido Schmitt & Manfred Schwab

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  1. Larissa Savelyeva
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  2. Evgeny Sagulenko
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  3. Jens Guido Schmitt
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  4. Manfred Schwab
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Correspondence to Manfred Schwab.

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Savelyeva, L., Sagulenko, E., Schmitt, J.G. et al. The neurobeachin gene spans the common fragile site FRA13A . Hum Genet 118, 551–558 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00439-005-0083-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00439-005-0083-z

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