LENGTH POLYMORPHISMS IN NEW HUMAN COLLAGEN-LIKE LOCI

Two new collagen-like loci have been identified in the human genome wh ich have sequence similarity to the triple-helical coding region of th e pro-alpha2(I) gene. Both loci exhibit length polymorphism due to all eles that contain deletions. The deletion at one locus is 400 bp while the deletion at the second locus is 200 bp. The second locus is on ch romosome 17 and its two alleles are not in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. These loci are candidates for involvement in connective tissue disord ers.