Assignment of erythropoietin (EPO) to blind subterranean mole rat chromosome 1q by in situ hybridization.

Erythropoietin is the main regulator of the circulating red blood cells; however, it also stimulates neovascularization (Jaquet et al., 2002). Four Spalax species of the Spalax ehrenbergi superspecies reside in Israel in different climatic regions (Nevo et al., 2001). Spalax is adapted to underground life and is highly tolerant to hypoxia due to respiratory and cardiovascular adaptations (Nevo, 1999). This is emphasized by sensitive angiogenic (Avivi at al., 1999) and erythropoiesis mechanisms (Shams et al., 2004) that highlight the key role of genes related to these adaptations. As part of our study of the Spalax hypoxia tolerance we report here on the localization of erythropoietin gene to chromosome 1q. This is the first gene to be mapped on Spalax chromosomes. Materials and methods