EDITOR—Existing published data cannot conclusively determine if the M34T allele of connexin-26 (GJB2) is a recessive allele causing hearing loss. The recent article by Houseman et al (J Med Genet 2001;38:20-5) “Genetic analysis of the connexin-26 M34T variant: identification of genotype M34T/ M34T segregating with mild-moderate nonsyndromic sensorineural hearing loss,” does not resolve this que...

Abstract GJB2 (encoding connexin26, Cx26) mutation is the most common genetic cause of hereditary deafness. Cochlear sensory hair cell (HC) death core pathologic phenomenon ‐related However, mechanism‐based therapy still obscure. A targeted‐cell conditional Gjb2 knockout mouse model was established in which Cx26 Deiters cells and pillar were knocked out at birth. We explored mechanism HC caused...

Objective(s) Despite the enormous heterogeneity of genetic hearing loss, most non-syndromic hearing losses are caused by mutations in the GJB2 gene. We aimed to characterize the mutation profiles of 100 Iranian deaf patients that were under 10 years old. Materials and Methods Patients were tested with direct sequencing of entire coding region of the GJB2 gene. Results Eight known mutations...

The p.V37I (c.109G>A) mutation in the GJB2 gene is the common frequent cause of congenital deafness; however, its pathogenicity is debated. The present study investigated the prevalence of p.V37I in Chinese infants and young children and associated clinical characteristics. The subjects of the present study were screened for mutations in GJB2 (235delC, 299delAT, 176dell6, 35delG), SLC26A4 (IVS7...

Introduction: One of the most important complications of exposure to noises is changes in the gene expression patterns. Irreversible damage to the inner ear, such as noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL), is caused by tissue damage and changes in the gene expressions in the auditory system. Changes in the GJB2 gene expression pattern lead to autosomal deafness at different loci. The present study a...

Hearing impairment (HI) affects 1 in 650 newborns, which makes it the most common congenital sensory impairment. Despite extraordinary genetic heterogeneity, mutations in one gene, GJB2, which encodes the connexin 26 protein and is involved in inner ear homeostasis, are found in up to 50% of patients with autosomal recessive nonsyndromic hearing loss. Because of the high frequency of GJB2 mutat...

Dominant mutations of GJB2-encoding connexin-26 (Cx26) have pleiotropic effects, causing either hearing impairment (HI) alone or in association with palmoplantar keratoderma (PPK/HI). We examined a British family with the latter phenotype and identified a new dominant GJB2 mutation predicted to eliminate the amino acid residue E42 (DeltaE42) in Cx26. To dissect the pathomechanisms that result i...