High-density genetic and physical mapping of DNA markers near the X-linked Alport syndrome locus: definition and use of flanking polymorphic markers

To refine the genetic and physical mapping of the locus for Alport syndrome (ATS), 22 X-chromosome restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) markers that fall between Xq21.3 and Xq25 were tested for genetic linkage with the disease and also mapped with respect to a series of physical breakpoints in this region. The location of the COL4A5 gene, which has recently been shown to be mutated in at least some families with Alport syndrome, was determined with respect to the same physical breakpoints. Two large Utah kindreds were included in the genetic studies, kindreds P and C, with 125 and 63 potentially informative meioses, respectively. Both kindreds have essentially identical nephritis; however, kindred P has sensorineural hearing loss associated with the nephritis, while kindred C does not. A mutation in COL4A5 has been demonstrated for kindred P, but no change in this gene has yet been detected for kindred C. Twelve informative probes did not recombine with the disease locus in either kindred (θ= 0.0, with combined lod scores for the two kindreds ranging from 7.7 to 30.0). The closest markers that could be demonstrated to flank the disease locus were the same for each kindred and thus the locations of the mutations causing the two disease phenotypes are not distinguishable at the current level of genetic resolution. The flanking markers are also useful for the resolution of questionable diagnoses and allow accurate estimates for these families of the rate of sporadic hematuria in noncarrier females (7%) and the penetrance of hematuria for carrier females (93%).