Is there any evidence for linkage on chromosome 17cen in affected Japanese sib-pairs with an intracranial aneurysm?

A linkage region on chromosome 17cen has previously been found in 29 Japanese families with a history of familial intracranial aneurysms (IA). To investigate whether there is evidence of linkage in affected Japanese sib-pairs we performed nonparametric and parametric linkage analysis of a total of 253 familial aneurysm cases including 111 affected sib-pairs (ASP). Ten microsatellite markers covering a 17.7 cM region were chosen, in accordance with previous work in which nominal P had been below 0.05. Statistical analysis was performed by use of Genehunter and Sibpal software. After calculation of the logarithm of the odds (LOD) and nonparametric linkage analysis (NPL) scores our study did not show any linkage in the region analyzed. Our conclusion did not change even after only ASP were analyzed. In contrast with a previous study examining multigenerational Japanese families with IA, most Japanese ASP may not have a genetic linkage to chromosome 17cen.