Mapping disease genes using the Malecot model for allelic association and the beta model for linkage.

Although there are a number of alternative methods for mapping oligogenes the beta model implemented in the program BETA has been shown to be amongst the more powerful. The model has been applied to a sample of 240 asthma and atopy families typed for markers on chromosome 12 and the results suggest at least one asthma determinant may be present. The Malecot model implemented in the program ALLASS has yet to be applied to oligogenes but has been effective in the localization of major genes by exploiting the relationship between linkage disequilibrium and distance from the gene. Extension to oligogenes would seem to be a profitable way forward.