Simpson-Golabi-Behmel syndrome (SGBS) is an X-linked gigantism syndrome characterized primarily by a coarse facies and somatic overgrowth which we have observed to be associated with an increased risk for embryonal tumors. Genetic linkage analysis for two SGBS kindreds in which X linked dominant inheritance was observed has been conducted for the X chromosome. The closest linkage to SGBS was observed for the Xq26 locus HPRT (Z max = 7.45, theta max = 0.00). SGBS-Xq marker recombinations map the disease locus to the DXS425-DXS1123 interval on Xq25-q27. This maps the disease locus to a region known to contain a previously characterized chromosomal translocation breakpoint found in a young girl with somatic overgrowth. This observation may have implications for the cloning of the SGBS gene.