There is abundant evidence supporting the contribution of genetic factors to the development of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in blacks. Two renal failure susceptibility genes, Rf-1 and Rf-2, have been identified in the fawn-hooded rat, an animal model of hypertension and nephrosclerosis. The human homologous region containing the rodent Rf-1 gene has been localized to chromosome 10q. We tested for genetic linkage between 21 polymorphic markers on human chromosome 10 and chronic renal failure in 129 black sibling pairs concordant for ESRD. Two adjacent markers on 10p, D10S1435 and D10S249 (4 centiMorgans from D10S1435), approached significance for linkage to ESRD in sibling pairs with nondiabetic causes of ESRD (P = 0.035 pairwise, P = 0.082 multipoint for D10S1435; P = 0.074 pairwise, P = 0.063 multipoint for D10S249). The markers spanning the homologous region of Rf-1 did not show evidence for linkage to ESRD in sibling pairs concordant for diabetic ESRD, sibling pairs concordant for nondiabetic causes of ESRD, or in the entire family set. These results suggest that the human homologue of Rf-1 is unlikely to contribute substantially to renal failure susceptibility from the common causes of kidney disease in blacks.