Congenital cataracts are a common cause of preventable blindness in children. We studied autosomal dominant congenital cataracts in 38 families and examined linkage between cataract loci and the crystallin genes on chromosomes 2, 11, 17, 21, and 22. We used clinical information to group families with phenotypically similar cataracts and analyzed the genetic data in these groups. Although LOD scores > 3.0 were not obtained, we found some support for linkage to four of the chromosomal regions examined, namely 2q33-35, 17q11.2-12, 21q22.3, and 22q11.2.
Copyright 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.