GJB2 mutation spectrum in 209 hearing impaired individuals of predominantly Caribbean Hispanic and African descent

Jidong Shan, Janie Chobot-Rodd, Raquel Castellanos, Melanie Babcock, Alan Shanske, Sanjay R. Parikh, Bernice E. Morrow, Joy Samanich

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

22 Scopus citations

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of the study is to determine whether Caribbean Hispanic and African admixture populations have a paucity of mutations in GJB2, encoding connexin 26. Methods: We reported the paucity of mutations in GJB2 and deletions in GJB6 in Caribbean Hispanic and African admixture populations in the Bronx, NY, in 2007 [1]. We have now collected 102 additional probands with non-syndromic sensorineural hearing impairment (NSHI), for a total of 209. We describe here a presentation of the combined data. Results: Of the 209 probands, 36% have affected family members with NSHI and the rest have sporadic occurrence. Of the familial cases, 43% had a first-degree relative affected, and the remainder a more distant relative. The hearing impairment ranged from unilateral mild to bilateral profound, with 76% exhibiting bilateral NSHI (BLNSHI). The single coding exon of the GJB2 gene was sequenced in 209 probands, PCR screening for del(GJB6-D13S1830) and sequencing of the non-coding exon of GJB2 to look for the known splice site mutation was performed in 32 NSHI patients with a heterozygous variation in GJB2, and multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA) testing of GJB2 and GJB6 exon deletions or amplifications (P163 GJB-WFS1 kit) was done in 70 probands. Eight unrelated individuals had biallelic GJB2 mutations, representing 4% of our entire cohort, or 5% of our probands with BLNSHI. Of 127 probands of Hispanic or African descent with BLNSHI, six (4.7%) had biallelic pathogenic mutations, three (2.3%) had monoallelic mutations and 118 (93%) had no disease-causing mutations in GJB2. At the same time, no major deletions were identified either by PCR screening (del(GJB6-D13S1830)) or by MLPA analysis (GJB2 or GJB6), and no subjects had the known splice site mutation in GJB2. Conclusion: These results demonstrate that GJB2 is not the major contributor to the genetic basis of NSHI for the Bronx minority admixture populations.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)611-618
Number of pages8
JournalInternational journal of pediatric otorhinolaryngology
Volume74
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 2010

Keywords

  • Admixture
  • Connexin 26
  • Deafness
  • GJB2
  • Mutations

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Pediatrics, Perinatology, and Child Health
  • Otorhinolaryngology

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