Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is caused by mutations at the PKD1 locus in most families. This locus has been assigned to the short arm of chromosome 16 by linkage analysis. It has been estimated that approximately 5% of families have a disease that does not map to this locus and most of these families have clinical features indistinguishable from the disease caused by PKD1 mutations. We report a large three-generation Caucasian family from Northern Ireland with ADPKD in whom all affected individuals (age range 22-68) were normotensive and only the two eldest had mild renal impairment. Linkage was excluded between the disease and both the alpha-globin gene complex and the microsatellite marker D16S283. This family confirms that phenotypic heterogeneity exists between unlinked families and that certain non-PKD1 mutations cause mild disease expression. Many such individuals may therefore remain undetected and the incidence of families with ADPKD who have non-PKD1 mutations may be greater than previously estimated.