Connexin26 mutations associated with nonsyndromic hearing loss

Objective: Mutations in the GJB2 gene are a major cause of autosomal recessive and sporadic types of congenital deafness. The 35delG mutation is the most frequent type of mutation in white populations. However, several other forms were reported, such as 167delT among Ashkenazi Jews and R143W in Africans. The present study investigated the mutations of connexin26 (Cx26) found in patients with nonsyndromic hearing loss (NSHL) and newborns in the Korean population. Study Design: The sequencing data for 147 unrelated patients with congenital NSHL and 100 audiologically screened newborns were included in this prospective study. Methods: Genomic DNA samples from all patients and newborns were sequenced in both directions for detection of Cx26 mutations. Results: Thirteen different types of mutations were found in the patients and newborns. V271 and E114G are the popular types of polymorphic mutations in both groups. 235delC-deletion and frame-shift was detected in patients (15 in 294 alleles) and newborns (1 in 200 alleles). 35delG was rarely found in both group. In addition to above mutations, several types of mutations-S85P, K41R, S72C, V84A, 176-191del, and 299-300del-were identified. The family study of the 235delC showed a typical autosomal recessive trait of NSHL in their audiological evaluation of hearing threshold. Conclusion: The frequency of 235delC allele showed much higher in the patients (5%) than in newborns (0.5%). We rarely found 35delC mutant in both groups. These results suggest that the different types of Cx26 mutations affect autosomal recessive NSHL according to ethnic background.