The Tcp-1 gene located within the T/t complex on chromosome 17 of the mouse codes for a major cell surfaceassociated protein p63/6.9 (Tcp-i) within the T/t complex that specifies a major cell surface-associated protein called p63/6.9 (6). Tcp-1 was previously called p63, but has now been renamed to conform with rules for genetic nomenclature in the mouse (7). Three alleles of the Tcp-i gene have been defined. All wild-type chromosomes have the Tcp ib allele that specifies a basic form of the p63/6.9 protein (p63/6.9b). All complete t haplotypes have the Tcp-ia alele that specifies an acidic form of the p63/6.9 protein (p63/6.9a). A deletion within the T/t complex known as ThP is associated with a null allele, Tcp-i n, which does not express any discernible form of the p63/6.9 protein. In a cell-free translation analysis of isolated testicular cell RNA, it has been found that the difference between p63/6.9b and p63/6.9a is encoded within the mRNA for these proteins (unpublished data). Therefore, Tcp-i appears to be the structural gene for the p63/6.9 protein.An unusual property of the T/t complex is that, in mice of either sex heterozygous for a t haplotype, the entire chromosomal region from the centromere to the H-2 complex is excluded from the normal process of recombination, but recombination along all other regions of the genome does not appear to be affected (8). Suppression of recombination within the T/t complex is not complete, however, and infrequent crossing over has been noted with the use of the genetic markers T and tuftedThe publication costs of this article were defrayed in part by page charge payment. This article must therefore be hereby marked "advertisement" in accordance with 18 U. S. C. §1734 solely to indicate this fact.
6077(tf) (Fig. 1). The normal map distance between these markers is 7 cM; in the presence of a t haplotype, this distance may be reduced to 0.1-0.3 cM (only 1-3 gametes of every 1000 scored contain a recombinant chromosome). Rare recombinational events produce reciprocal forms of chromosome 17 that include only a portion of the original t haplotype. Chromosomes carrying the proximal portion of the original t haplotype will be called proximal t haplotypes; more than 100 of these haplotypes have been recovered during the last 50 years (9-11). All proximal t haplotypes remain associated with a tT factor that interacts in trans with T to cause taillessness in T/tT animals. Chromosomes carrying the distal portion of the original t haplotype will be called distal t haplotypes. The few distal t haplotypes identified thus far are-lethal when homozygous and do not interact with the tT factor (12).Both proximal and distal partial t haplotypes continue to exclude normal recombination, in +/t heterozygotes, along the chromatin derived from the parental t haplotype; recombination is permitted in those regions of the genome that are separate from t chromatin (12, 13). These data led Lyon et al.(1) to postulate that t haplotypes have an altered form of "intercalary DNA" (define...