Nature 252, 741 - 743 (20 December 1974); doi:10.1038/252741a0

Localisation of 5S ribosomal RNA genes on human chromosome 1

DALE M. STEFFENSEN^*†, P. DUFFEY^† & W. PRENSKY^‡

^†Provisional Department of Genetics and Development, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801
^‡Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York 10021
^*Present address: CSIRO Division of Plant Industry, PO Box 1600, Canberra, ACT, Australia.

WE have used in situ hybridisation to locate a major 5S RNA locus near the end of the long arm of chromosome 1 of man. This information represents a step towards the understanding of the synthesis, assembly and regulation of ribosomes. The 5S RNA molecule is associated with the larger ribosomal particle in both higher and lower organisms and is required for ribosome function. Ribosomal RNA—18S and 28S—is synthesised at the nucleolar organiser regions on the chromosomes of the D and G groups¹. Genes coding for 5S RNA have been located in Drosophila ², Xenopus ³ and several other organisms⁴, and our data now confirm preliminary reports^5,6 that placed the 5S genes on chromosome 1 of man. We also suggest a mechanism for positioning the 5S genes near nucleoli at interphase.

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