A combined genome-wide association and molecular study of age-related hearing loss in H. sapiens

Background Sensorineural hearing loss is one of the most common sensory deficiencies. However, the molecular contribution to age-related hearing loss is not fully elucidated. Methods We performed genome-wide association studies (GWAS) for hearing loss-related traits in the UK Biobank (N = 362,396) and selected a high confidence set of ten hearing-associated gene products for staining in human cochlear samples: EYA4, LMX1A, PTK2/FAK, UBE3B, MMP2, SYNJ2, GRM5, TRIOBP, LMO-7, and NOX4. Results All proteins were found to be expressed in human cochlear structures. Our findings illustrate cochlear structures that mediate mechano-electric transduction of auditory stimuli, neuronal conductance, and neuronal plasticity to be involved in age-related hearing loss. Conclusions Our results suggest common genetic variation to influence structural resilience to damage as well as cochlear recovery after trauma, which protect against accumulated damage to cochlear structures and the development of hearing loss over time.

Automated summary

The study identified ten gene products associated with age-related hearing loss in human cochlear samples, highlighting the importance of cochlear structures in mechano-electric transduction of auditory stimuli, neuronal conductance, and neuronal plasticity. Common genetic variations were found to influence structural resilience and cochlear recovery after trauma, thereby protecting against accumulated damage to cochlear structures and the development of hearing loss over time.