Paternal inheritance or a de novo mutation in a Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy pedigree from South India

A six year old boy presented with classical features of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) and was confirmed by absent dystrophin staining on muscle biopsy. In the paternal line there were 5 affected individuals across two generations with classical DMD. There was no family history of the illness in the maternal line. Molecular genetics analysis by PCR of the exons showed a deletion in exon 45 in two affected individuals. Microsatellite analysis showed that though the deletion was observed in the same locus in exon 45 it is a new independent mutation.