Linkage analysis of 5 novel van der Woude syndrome kindreds to 1q32-q41 markers further supports locus homogeneity of the disease trait

van der Woude syndrome (vWS, MIM 119300) is a rare autosomal dominant cleft ing condition with cardinal features of mucous cysts (lower-lip pits) and c lefts to the lip and/or palate. The vWS gene has been assigned to a locus i n 1q32-q41 by linkage analysis and physical mapping. We have investigated 5 novel vWS families through probands attended for cleft lip and/or palate r epair at the Department of Maxillofacial Surgery of Hopital Trousseau, Pari s, in order to tentatively refine the genetic map of the vWS region in 1q32 -q41 and possibly identify unlinked pedigrees. Linkage analysis was carried out to 6 microsatellite markers (D1S249, D1S245, D1S491, D1S205, D1S414, D 1S425), yielding a maximum cumulative LOD score of Z = 3.27 at theta = 0.00 for D1S245. The innermost four markers were found to be tightly linked to one another, with no evidence for recombination. Our results support linkag e of vWS within a region of tightly linked markers and do not favour locus heterogeneity of the disease trait.