BACKGROUND More than 70 % of the cases of congenital deafness are of genetic origin, of which approximately 80 % are non-syndromic and show autosomal recessive transmission (DFNB forms). To date, 60 DFNB genes have been identified, most of which cause congenital, severe to profound deafness, whereas a few cause delayed progressive deafness in childhood. We report the study of two Algerian sibli...

Mutations in the COCH (coagulation factor C homology) gene have been attributed to DFNA9 (deafness, autosomal-dominant 9), an autosomal-dominant non-syndromic hearing loss disorder. However, the mechanisms responsible for DFNA9 hearing loss remain unknown. Here, we demonstrate that mutant cochlin, the protein product of the COCH gene, forms a stable dimer that is sensitive to reducing agent. In...

Mutation of the Gap Junction Beta 2 gene (GJB2) encoding connexin 26 (CX26) is the most frequent cause of hereditary deafness worldwide and accounts for up to 50% of non-syndromic sensorineural hearing loss cases in some populations. Therefore, cochlear CX26-gap junction plaque (GJP)-forming cells such as cochlear supporting cells are thought to be the most important therapeutic target for the ...

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to evaluate the GoldenGate microarray as a diagnostic tool and to elucidate the contribution of the genes on this array to the development of both nonsyndromic and syndromic sensorineural hearing loss in China. METHODS We developed a microarray to detect 240 mutations underlying syndromic and nonsyndromic sensorineural hearing loss. The microarray was then ...