The gene responsible for Krabbe disease, an autosomal recessive disorder caused by deficiency of galactocerebrosidase (GALC), was localized by multipoint linkage analysis on chromosome 14. Eight mapped dinucleotide repeat polymorphisms were tested for linkage to GALC. Two-point linkage analysis demonstrated close linkage of GALC and D14S48, with Z = 13.69 at theta = 0. Multipoint analysis yielded strong support for this finding, with maximum likelihood for GALC located within 1 cM of D14S48. This analysis also identified markers that clearly flank the GALC locus, as the map order of D14S53-GALC-D14S45 is favored by odds greater than 10(6):1. Additional support for close linkage of GALC and D14S48 comes from the apparent linkage disequilibrium between these two loci in a consanguineous Druze community in Israel. These data localize GALC to 14q24.3-q32.1.