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. 1993 Jul 16;261(5119):321-7.
doi: 10.1126/science.8332896.

A linkage between DNA markers on the X chromosome and male sexual orientation

D H Hamer  1 , S Hu, V L Magnuson, N Hu, A M Pattatucci
Affiliations

A linkage between DNA markers on the X chromosome and male sexual orientation

D H Hamer et al. Science. .

Abstract

The role of genetics in male sexual orientation was investigated by pedigree and linkage analyses on 114 families of homosexual men. Increased rates of same-sex orientation were found in the maternal uncles and male cousins of these subjects, but not in their fathers or paternal relatives, suggesting the possibility of sex-linked transmission in a portion of the population. DNA linkage analysis of a selected group of 40 families in which there were two gay brothers and no indication of nonmaternal transmission revealed a correlation between homosexual orientation and the inheritance of polymorphic markers on the X chromosome in approximately 64 percent of the sib-pairs tested. The linkage to markers on Xq28, the subtelomeric region of the long arm of the sex chromosome, had a multipoint lod score of 4.0 (P = 10(-5), indicating a statistical confidence level of more than 99 percent that at least one subtype of male sexual orientation is genetically influenced.

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Comment in

  • Male sexual orientation and genetic evidence.
    Risch N, Squires-Wheeler E, Keats BJ. Risch N, et al. Science. 1993 Dec 24;262(5142):2063-5. doi: 10.1126/science.8266107. Science. 1993. PMID: 8266107 No abstract available.
  • Evidence for homosexuality gene.
    Pool R. Pool R. Science. 1993 Jul 16;261(5119):291-2. doi: 10.1126/science.8332894. Science. 1993. PMID: 8332894 No abstract available.
  • Genetics and male sexual orientation.
    Fausto-Sterling A, Balaban E. Fausto-Sterling A, et al. Science. 1993 Sep 3;261(5126):1257; author reply 1259. doi: 10.1126/science.8362239. Science. 1993. PMID: 8362239 No abstract available.
  • Genetics and male sexual orientation.
    Diamond R. Diamond R. Science. 1993 Sep 3;261(5126):1258-9. doi: 10.1126/science.8362240. Science. 1993. PMID: 8362240 No abstract available.

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