Two polymorphic dinucleotide repeats in the rat dystrophin gene, including the conserved 3' UTR repeat

The human dystrophin (DMD) gene contains at least 79 exons, five different promoters, and spans approximately 2.5 Mb and 12 cM of the X Chromosome (Chr; Ahn and Kunkel 1993; Abbs et al. 1990). We have isolated two new polymorphic (CA), dinucleotide microsatellite repeats in the rat DMD gene, one near exon 29 towards the 5' end of the gene, the other in the 3' untranslated region. The Y (CA)n microsatellite is conserved between species, present at the same location in the rat, mouse, and human genes (Maichele and Chamberlain 1992). Both the microsatellites are polymorphic between different rat strains, making them useful markers for mapping in rat genetic crosses.