An (AC)n repeat within the anonymous DNA sequence D21S171 was shown to be highly polymorphic in members of the 40 Centre d'Etude du Polymorphisme Humaine (CEPH) families. Ten different alleles at this marker locus were detected by electrophoresis on polyacrylamide gels of DNA amplified by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using primers flanking the (AC)n repeat. The observed heterozygosity was 66%. PCR amplification of DNA from somatic cell hybrids mapped D21S171 to human chromosome 21, and linkage analysis localized this marker close to the loci CD18, PFKL, D21S113 and D21S112 in chromosomal band 21q22.3. In CEPH family 12 a de novo allele has been observed in a maternally derived chromosome.