title: Genetic aspects of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis in a family with multiple affected members: a research article.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The etiology of idiopathic scoliosis remains unknown and different factors have been suggested as causal. Hereditary factors can also determine the etiology of the disease; however, the pattern of inheritance remains unknown. Autosomal dominant, X-linked and multifactorial patterns of inheritances have been reported. Other studies have suggested possible chromosome regions related to the etiology of idiopathic scoliosis. We report the genetic aspects of and investigate chromosome regions for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis in a Brazilian family.
  
  
  METHODS
  Evaluation of 57 family members, distributed over 4 generations of a Brazilian family, with 9 carriers of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. The proband presented a scoliotic curve of 75 degrees, as determined by the Cobb method. Genomic DNA from family members was genotyped.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Locating a chromosome region linked to adolescent idiopathic scoliosis was not possible in the family studied.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  While it was not possible to determine a chromosome region responsible for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis by investigation of genetic linkage using microsatellites markers during analysis of four generations of a Brazilian family with multiple affected members, analysis including other types of genomic variations, like single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) could contribute to the continuity of this study.
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Rua Borges Lagoa 783, 5th floor - Vila Clementino - Sao Paulo ZIP 04038-032, Brazil. marcelow@einstein.br.
authors.forename: Marcelo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wajchenberg
authors.forename: Monize
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lazar
authors.forename: Natale
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Cavaçana
authors.forename: Delio Eulalio
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Martins
authors.forename: Luciana
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Licinio
authors.forename: Eduardo Barros
authors.initials: EB
authors.lastname: Puertas
authors.forename: Elcio
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Landim
authors.forename: Mayana
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zatz
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ishida