Linkage disequilibrium analyses and restriction mapping of four RFLPs at the pro alpha 2(I) collagen locus: lack of correlation between linkage disequilibrium and physical distance.

Restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RRLPs) located at short distances may demonstrate linkage disequilibrium. Under the assumption that the distances between the loci of the RFLPs are inversely related to the linkage disequilibria, gene order may be deduced. However, if the assumption is invalid, the results may be incorrect. We have studied four different DNA polymorphisms at the COLIA2 locus in 180 unrelated Norwegian individuals. Observed frequencies (presence/absence) for the different polymorphic sites were as follows: site A (EcoRI) 0.30/0.70, site B (MspI) 0.83/0.16, site C (StuI) 0.86/0.14, and site D (RsaI) 0.66/0.34. Of 16 possible haplotypes 12 were demonstrated, and 2 additional were deduced to be present. Restriction mapping of the four polymorphic sites gave the following order of the sites from the 5' to the 3' of the gene: A-D-B-C. Linkage disequilibrium was not found between the sites A and D; strong disequilibrium was found between sites A and C, and B and C; and less strong, between A and B, B and D, and C and D. Analysis of linkage disequilibrium coefficients between all pairs of loci demonstrated that there is no consistent relationship between linkage disequilibrium and physical distance (tau = -0.07). These results suggest that for a small region of the genome, factors such as deviating mutation rate and gene conversion may add significantly to rearrangements by recombination. Thus, a deduced gene order from linkage disequilibrium data has to be regarded with great caution.