Genetic linkage between Becker muscular dystrophy and a polymorphic DNA sequence on the short arm of the X chromosome.

A study of DNA restriction fragment polymorphisms and Becker muscular dystrophy has shown eight families informative for the cloned sequence L1.28, which is located on the short arm of the X chromosome between Xp110 and Xp113. Analysis of these families reveals linkage between the two loci, with the maximum likelihood estimate of the genetic distance being 16 centiMorgans (95% confidence limits between 7 and 32 centiMorgans). Since a study of DNA polymorphisms in Duchenne muscular dystrophy has shown a comparable linkage distance with L1.28, our results suggest that the locus for Becker muscular dystrophy, like that for Duchenne dystrophy, is on the short arm of the X chromosome, and further that these two loci may be closely linked or possibly allelic.