Abstract
Several studies on small homogenous populations suggested that fragile-X syndrome originated from a limited number of founder chromosomes. The Israeli Jewish population could serve as an adequate model for tracing a founder effect due to the unique ethnic makeup and traditional lifestyle. Furthermore, a common haplotype for Jewish Tunisian fragile X patients was recently reported. To test for a similar occurrence in the Jewish Ashkenazi population, we performed haplotype analysis of 23 fragile-X patients and 28 normal chromosomes, all Jewish Ashkenazi, using microsatellite markers within and flanking the FMR-1 gene: FRAXAC1, FRAXAC2, and DXS548. The combined triple-marker analysis identified a wide range of diverse haplotypes in patients and controls, with no distinct haplotype prevalent in the patient group. Our data suggest that no common ancestral X chromosome is associated with the fragile-X syndrome in the Israeli Jewish Ashkenazi patient population studied. These findings are in contrast to other reports on founder effect associated with fragile-X syndrome in distinct European as well as Jewish Tunisian populations. On this basis, a more complex mechanism for the development of fragile-X syndrome in the Jewish Ashkenazi population should be considered.
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Received: 12 May 1997 / Accepted: 24 July 1997
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Pesso, R., Barkai, G., Ravia, Y. et al. No founder effect detected in Jewish Ashkenazi patients with fragile-X syndrome. Hum Genet 101, 186–189 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1007/s004390050611
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s004390050611