NON-LINKAGE OF A T-CELL RECEPTOR-GAMMA CHAIN MICROSATELLITE (D7S485) TO RHEUMATOID-ARTHRITIS, IN MULTIPLEX FAMILIES

A highly informative microsatellite marker, D7S485, from the T-cell re ceptor gamma (TCRG) locus, has been used to study segregation of TCRG genes in 26 multiplex rheumatoid arthritis (RA) families. We used the sib-pair method to assess excess identity-by-descent sharing among aff ected members in these families and the LINKAGE package of programs wa s used to calculate two-point lod scores far the D7S485 marker. There was no evidence for segregation of TCRG genes with RA in affected sibl ings and significantly negative lad scores were obtained from Linkage analyses using bath autosomal dominant and recessive models of inherit ance.