The human gene for the poly(A)-specific ribonuclease (PARN) maps to 16p13 and has a truncated copy in the Prader-Willi/Angelman syndrome region on 15q11-->q13.

The deadenylation nuclease or poly(A)-specific ribonuclease (PARN) is a 3' exonuclease, which degrades the poly(A)-tail of eukaryotic mRNA molecules. By DNA sequence analysis of cDNA and genomic clones, fluorescence in situ hybridization, and reverse transcriptase-PCR, we have determined that the active human PARN gene is located in 16p13 and that a truncated copy lacking the 5' end is located in 15q11. The truncated gene maps close to a copy of the D15F37 gene family at the proximal Prader-Willi/Angelman (PWS/AS) deletion breakpoint region. Other copies of the F37 gene family are located at the distal PWS/AS deletion breakpoint region and on 16p11.2. Although PARN and F37 gene sequences are present on 15q and 16p, our data suggest that the synteny of these loci is the result of independent genetic events.