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Mutations in the DFNA5 gene are known to cause autosomal dominant non-syndromic hearing loss (ADNSHL). To date, five DFNA5 mutations have been reported, all of which were different in the genomic level. In this study, we ascertained a Korean family with autosomal dominant, progressive and sensorineural hearing loss and performed linkage analysis that revealed linkage to the DFNA5 locus on chromosome 7. Sequence analysis of DFNA5 identified a 3-bp deletion in intron 7 (c.991-15_991-13del) as the cause of hearing loss in this family. As the same mutation had been reported in a large Chinese family segregating DFNA5 hearing loss, we compared their DFNA5 mutation-linked haplotype with that of the Korean family. We found a conserved haplotype, suggesting that the 3-bp deletion is derived from a single origin in these families. Our observation raises the possibility that this mutation may be a common cause of autosomal dominant progressive hearing loss in East Asians. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pendred's syndrome (PDS) is an autosomal-recessive disorder characterized by sensorineural hearing loss and goiter. PDS is caused by mutations of the SLC26A4 gene encoding pendrin, a transmembrane exchanger of Cl−, I− and HCO3−, which is expressed in the thyroid and inner ear. SLC26A4 mutations can also be associated with non-syndromic deafness, DFNB4. The goal of our study was to define the identities and frequencies of SLC26A4 mutations in 563 large, consanguineous Pakistani families segregating severe-to-profound recessive deafness. Sequence analyses of SLC26A4 in 46 unreported families segregating deafness linked to DFNB4/PDS revealed 16 probable pathogenic variants, 8 of which are novel. The novel variants include three missense substitutions (p.R24L, p.G139V and p.V231M), two splice site mutations (c.304+2T>C and c.1341+3A>C), one frameshift (p.C565MfsX8) and two different genomic deletions affecting exons 1–2 and 11–18. Each of six pathogenic variants (p.V239D, p.Q446R, p.S90L, p.Y556C, p.R24L and p.K715N) was found in more than one family and haplotype analyses suggest that they are founder mutations. Combined with earlier reported data, SLC26A4 mutations were identified in 56 (7.2%; 95% CI: 5.6–9.2%) of 775 families. Therefore, SLC26A4 mutations are the most common known cause of genetic deafness in this population. As p.V239D (30%), p.S90L (18%) and p.Q446R (18%) account for approximately two-third of the mutant alleles of SLC26A4, hierarchical strategies for mutation detection would be feasible and cost-efficient genetic tests for DFNB4 deafness and PDS in Pakistanis.Journal of Human Genetics (2009) 54, 266–270; doi:10.1038/jhg.2009.21; published online 13 March 2009 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mutations in the DFNA5 gene are known to cause autosomal dominant non-syndromic hearing loss (ADNSHL). To date, five DFNA5 mutations have been reported, all of which were different in the genomic level. In this study, we ascertained a Korean family with autosomal dominant, progressive and sensorineural hearing loss and performed linkage analysis that revealed linkage to the DFNA5 locus on chromosome 7. Sequence analysis of DFNA5 identified a 3-bp deletion in intron 7 (c.991-15_991-13del) as the cause of hearing loss in this family. As the same mutation had been reported in a large Chinese family segregating DFNA5 hearing loss, we compared their DFNA5 mutation-linked haplotype with that of the Korean family. We found a conserved haplotype, suggesting that the 3-bp deletion is derived from a single origin in these families. Our observation raises the possibility that this mutation may be a common cause of autosomal dominant progressive hearing loss in East Asians.