title: Molecular analysis of muscular dystrophy.
abstract: It is now possible to map almost any disease locus to a chromosomal region in the human genome by family studies with restriction fragment length polymorphisms. Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophies have been shown to be localized within the same small region of Xp21 on the human X chromosome. Myotonic dystrophy has been localized to a region close to the centromere of chromosome 19. Technologies are now available to identify candidate genes for the diseases. Autosomal recessive muscular dystrophies are more difficult to study, but even these will be amenable to analysis in the very near future. The next decade should witness some exciting advances in the molecular analysis and clinical management of human muscular dystrophies.
authors.affiliation: Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, U.K.
authors.forename: K E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Davies
authors.forename: S J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Kenwrick
authors.forename: M N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Patterson
authors.forename: T J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Forrest
authors.forename: H R
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Dorkins
authors.forename: G S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Cross
authors.forename: S B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: England
mesh_terms: D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D002875:Chromosomes / Q000032:analysis; D004247:DNA / Q000032:analysis; D004586:Electrophoresis / Q000379:methods; D005815:Genetic Code; D008040:Genetic Linkage; D005819:Genetic Markers; D006801:Humans; D009136:Muscular Dystrophies / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000503:physiopathology
chemical_list: D005819:Genetic Markers; D004247:DNA