A method for determining coordinate genetic regulation is proposed for mammalian cells. The method involves (i) isolation of a set of mutants defective in the relevant pathway; (ii) complementation analysis of these mutants to determine dominance and to categorize the mutants into various different complementation groups; (iii) determination of the biochemical blocks in the mutants; (iv) identification of individual mutants that fail to complement the members of at least two distinct complementation groups that complement each other, such mutants being said to show coordinate regulation of the affected functions; (v) biochemical and reversion analysis of the relevant cell types to confirm the basis for the observed coordinate regulation; (vi) assignment of the individual genes to particular human chromosomes; (vii) mapping of the genes to determine contiguity on the genome; and (viii) examination of the structure of the relevant gene products. This method has allowed the demonstration of coordinate regulation between the gene coding for phosphoribosylglycineamide synthetase [5-phosphoribosylamine:glycine ligase (ADP-forming), EC 6.3.4.13], defective in our Ade-C mutants, and the gene coding for phoshoribosylaminoimidazole synthetase [5'-phosphoribosylformylglycinamidine cyclo-ligase (ADP-forming), EC 6.3.3.1], defective in our Ade-G mutants. Moreover, both genes can be assigned to human chromosome 21. Because at least two genes for purine biosynthesis have now been assigned to chromosome 21, and because patients with trisomy 21 (Down syndrome) show increased levels of serum purines, it may be that cells of these patients overproduce purines and that this overproduction may be relevant to the pathology of the syndrome.