Molecular analysis of the duchenne muscular dystrophy locus

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), a progressive muscle-wasting disease, was named after the French doctor who described the disease in 1868, over 100 years ago. Both DMD and the much milder form, Becker muscular dystrophy (BMD), are X-linked recessive disorders. In DMD, muscle wasting and weakness are clinically evident around the age of three. In the last 6 years DMD research has progressed from the confirmation of its Xp21 chromosomal localization to the isolation of the cDNA and its protein product. In this review the authors present an updated overview of the field with certain emphasis on the interests of their laboratory.