Minisatellites are repetitive sequences of DNA that are present throughout the 
genome. Although the origin and function of these minisatellites is still 
unknown, they found clinical applications as markers of many diseases, including 
cancer. Also, they are useful tools for DNA fingerprinting and linkage analysis. 
Kallikreins are serine proteases that appear to be involved in many diseases 
including brain disorders and malignancy. We have recently characterized the 
human kallikrein gene locus on chromosome 19q13.4, which includes 15 kallikrein 
genes. In this study, we examined the kallikrein locus ( approximately 300 Kb) 
for all known repeat elements. About 50% of this genomic area is occupied by 
different repeat elements. We also identified unique minisatellite elements that 
are restricted to chromosome 19q13. Ten clusters of these minisatellites are 
distributed along the locus on either DNA strand. The clusters are located in 
the promoters and enhancers of genes, in introns, and in untranslated regions of 
the mRNA. Analysis of these elements indicates that they are polymorphic, thus 
they can be useful in linkage analysis and DNA fingerprinting. Our preliminary 
results indicate also that the distribution of the different alleles of these 
minisatellites might be associated with malignancy.