A Linkage Between DNA Markers on the X Chromosome and Male Sexual Orientation

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, suggestin...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) 1993-07, Vol.261 (5119), p.321-327
Main Authors: Hamer, Dean H., Hu, Stella, Magnuson, Victoria L., Hu, Nan, Angela M. L. Pattatucci
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
550400 - Genetics
Alleles
BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
BEHAVIOR
Biological and medical sciences
BIOLOGICAL MARKERS
Brothers
CHROMOSOMES
Cousins
DNA markers
Female
Female homosexuality
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Gay men
GENES
Genetic aspects
Genetic Linkage
Genetic loci
GENETIC MAPPING
Genetic Markers
Genotype
HETEROCHROMOSOMES
Homosexuality
HUMAN CHROMOSOMES
HUMAN X CHROMOSOME
Humans
linkage analysis
Male
Male homosexuality
MALES
man
MAPPING
Pedigree
Personality. Affectivity
Phenotype
Phenotypic traits
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Research Article
SEX
Sexual orientation
Sexuality. Sexual behavior
Sons
X CHROMOSOME
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Summary: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.
ISSN:0036-8075
1095-9203
DOI:10.1126/science.8332896