Sex-based linkage analysis of alcoholism.

A high degree of locus heterogeneity is likely in alcoholism, and linkage heterogeneity analysis may be helpful in mapping susceptibility loci. The genetic contribution to alcoholism in females may be higher than in males, and therefore sex of affected individuals was used in linkage analysis. Families with female alcoholics demonstrated evidence for linkage to chromosomes 10p11-p15 and 21q22.1-q22.2 while those with male alcoholics did not provide evidence for linkage to these regions. Sharing of maternal and paternal alleles was also investigated separately, and evidence for linkage of maternal alleles on chromosomes 1 and 8, and paternal alleles on chromosome 2 was observed, suggesting parental origin effects. Mapping of complex traits may benefit from tests of linkage heterogeneity based on sex, and parental origin.