positional cloning

A process which, through gene mapping techniques, is able to locate a gene responsible for a disease when little or no information is known about the biochemical basis of the disease. See also chromosome, cloning, gene

A technique used to identify genes, usually those that are associated with diseases, based on their location on a chromosome.

A strategy for gene cloning that relies on the identification of closely linked markers to the target trait, and then uses chromosome walking to identify, isolate and characterize the gene(s) responsible for the trait. The strategy is particularly appropriate when the biochemical basis of the target trait is unclear, thus precluding the use of a candidate gene approach.