Genetic analysis of the connexin-26 M34T variant: identification of genotype M34T/M34T segregating with mild-moderate non-syndromic sensorineural hearing loss

Mutations in the human gap junction β-2 gene (GJB2) that encodes connexin-26 have been shown to cause non-syndromic sensorineural hearing loss (NSSNHL) at the DFNB1 locus on 13q11. Functional and genetic data regarding the disease causing potential of one particular GJB2 sequence variant, 101 T→C (M34T), have proven contradictory. In this study, we found the prevalence of the M34T allele in a cohort of white sib pairs and sporadic cases with NSSNHL from the United Kingdom and Ireland to be 3.179% of chromosomes screened. Significantly, we identified the first M34T/M34T genotype cosegregating in a single family with mid to high frequency NSSNHL. Screening a control population of 630 subjects we identified 25 M34T heterozygotes; however, no M34T homozygotes were detected. Surprisingly, the majority of M34T alleles (88%) were in cis with a 10 bp deletion in the 5' non-coding sequence. This non-coding deletion was also homozygous in the homozygous M34T subjects. Microsatellite analysis of flanking loci in M34T heterozygotes and controls does not define an extensive ancestral haplotype but preliminary data suggest two common alleles in subjects with the M34T allele. In summary, we provide data that support M34T acting as a recessive GJB2 allele associated with mild-moderate prelingual hearing impairment.


Keywords: GJB2; connexin-26; M34T; hearing loss     

Pathogenetic role of the deafness-related M34T mutation of Cx26

Mutations in the GJB2 gene, which encodes the gap junction protein connexin26 (Cx26), are the major cause of genetic non-syndromic hearing loss. The role of the allelic variant M34T in causing hereditary deafness remains controversial. By combining genetic, clinical, biochemical, electrophysiological and structural modeling studies, we have re-assessed the pathogenetic role of the M34T mutation. Genetic and audiological data indicate that the majority of heterozygous carriers and all five compound heterozygotes exhibited an impaired auditory function. Functional expression in transiently transfected HeLa cells showed that, although M34T was correctly synthesized and targeted to the plasma membrane, it inefficiently formed intercellular channels that displayed an abnormal electrical behavior and retained only 11% of the unitary conductance of the wild-type protein (HCx26wt). Moreover, M34T channels failed to support the intercellular diffusion of Lucifer Yellow and the spreading of mechanically induced intercellular Ca2+ waves. When co-expressed together with HCx26wt, M34T exerted dominant-negative effects on cell-cell coupling. Our findings are consistent with a structural model, predicting that the mutation leads to a constriction of the channel pore. These data support the view that M34T is a pathological variant of Cx26 associated with hearing impairment.     

血管紧张素原基因M235T多态性与肥厚型心肌病的关系

目的　探讨血管紧张素原 ( angiotensinogen,AGT)基因 M2 35 T变异与肥厚型心肌病( hypertrophic cardiomyopathy,HCM)的关系。方法　对 72例 HCM患者与 80名正常对照者进行病例 -对照研究。采用聚合酶链反应与限制性片段长度多态性技术检测 AGT基因 M2 35 T变异。同时通过 M型二维超声心动图分别测量室间隔、左室后壁和心尖部心肌厚度。结果　 ( 1)经 PCR扩增及 Tth111 酶切 ,AGT基因型有 3种形式 :MM、TT与 MT基因型。两组 AGT基因型的分布均符合 Hardy- Weinberg平衡。 ( 2 )AGT基因 M2 35 T基因型在 HCM组与对照组的分布差异有显著性 ( χ2 =6 .0 90 ,P<0 .0 5 )。HCM组 TT基因型与 T2 35等位基因的频率均高于对照组 ( TT基因型 :0 .6 3vs0 .4 5 ,OR=2 .0 37,95 % CI:1.0 6 4～7.899,P<0 .0 5 ;T2 35等位基因 :0 .78vs0 .6 4 ,OR=1.990 ,95 % CI:1.197～ 3.30 8,P<0 .0 1)。 ( 3) HCM组TT基因型患者左室壁最厚处平均厚度明显大于 MM、MT基因型患者 [( 19.1± 4 .8) mm vs( 15 .3± 2 .6 )mm与 ( 16 .2± 5 .1) mm,F=4 .2 6 1,P<0 .0 5 ]。结论　 AGT基因 M2 35 T变异与 HCM的发病显著相关 ,TT基因型或 T2 35等位基因可能是参与 HCM发生及加重心肌肥厚的一个遗传方面的危险因素     

连接蛋白基因Cx26的一个可能的新启动区

目的 探讨人类连接蛋白基因２６（ｃｏｎｎｅｘｉｎ ２６,Ｃｘ２６）的调控机理。方法 对Ｃｘ２６基因转译起始点上游的一个ＤＮａｓｅ－１超敏区片段１．６ｋｂ进行序列分析和ＣＡＴ报告基因分析。结果 Ｃｘ２６－１．６ｋｂ片段具有启动子功能。结论 Ｃｘ２６－１．６ｋｂ中含有２个ＧＴ盒（分别位于－６１５８ｂｐ和－６２１３ｂｐ）,１个ＴＴＡＡＡ盒位于－６２３７ｂｐ,这是在人类Ｃｘ２６基因中新发现的第２个启动区。     

Mutation analysis of the GJB2 (connexin 26) gene in Egypt

Fifty to eighty percent of autosomal recessive deafness is due to mutations in the GJB2 gene encoding connexin 26. Among Caucasians, the c.35delG mutation in this gene accounts for up to 30 to 70% of all cases with early childhood deafness. In this study, we present the analysis of the GJB2 gene in 159 Egyptians from 111 families with non-syndromic mild to profound hearing impairment. An additional family with Vohwinkel syndrome, a combination of hearing impairment and palmoplantar keratoderma with constriction of the digits, was also included. We used direct sequencing analysis to detect all possible coding GJB2 variants in this population. The presence of the g.1777179_2085947del mutation (hereafter called del(GJB6-D13S1830)) was also investigated as it was shown to be the second most common mutation causing non-syndromic prelingual hearing impairment in Spain. Sequencing analysis of one randomly chosen individual per family revealed that the c.35delG mutation was present in 24 out of 222 chromosomes (10.8%), making it the most frequent mutation in the GJB2 gene in Egypt. Five other mutations were already described previously [p.Thr8Met, p.Val37Ile, p.Val153Ile, c.333_334delAA, c.1-3172G>A (commonly designated as IVS1+1G>A)]. This study also revealed three other novel gene variants resulting in amino acid substitutions (p.Phe142del, p.Asp117His, p.Ala148Pro). In contrast with most populations, the del(GJB6-D13S1830) mutation upstream of the GJB2 gene was not present in this Egyptian population. A dominant mutation at a highly conserved residue, p.Gly130Val, was found in the family with Vohwinkel syndrome.     

Prevalent connexin 26 gene (GJB2) mutations in Japanese

The gene responsible for DNFB1 and DFNA3, connexin 26 (GJB2), was recently identified and more than 20 disease causing mutations have been reported so far. This paper presents mutation analysis for GJB2 in Japanese non-syndromic hearing loss patients compatible with recessive inheritance. It was confirmed that GJB2 mutations are an important cause of hearing loss in this population, with three mutations, 235delC, Y136X, and R143W, especially frequent. Of these three mutations, 235delC was most prevalent at 73%. Surprisingly, the 35delG mutation, which is the most common GJB2 mutation in white subjects, was not found in the present study. Our data indicated that specific combinations of GJB2 mutation exist in different populations.     

Frequency of the 35delG mutation in the connexin 26 gene in Turkish hearing-impaired patients

The 35delG mutation in the connexin 26 gene (GJB2) at the DFNB1 locus is the most common mutation in patients with autosomal-recessive sensorineural deafness. Genetic diagnosis is crucial for genetic counseling. We have developed an easy and simple method and screened a total of 235 unrelated hearing-impaired children. We found 48 of the subjects to be homozygous for the mutation, including 27 of 83 familial cases, 15 of 101 singletons, 4 of 9 subjects born to assortative marriages (deaf married to deaf), and 2 of 42 subjects for whom the parents claimed an environmental factor as the etiology of the condition. The high ratio of individuals homozygous for the mutation indicated that the 35delG mutation in the connexin gene accounts for more than 90% of the mutations at this locus.     

W44C mutation in the connexin 26 gene associated with dominant non-syndromic deafness

Although more than 50% of recessive non-syndromic deafness is attributed to mutations in the connexin 26 (Cx26) gene, only a few reported families have shown dominant transmission of the trait. The W44C mutation was originally reported in two families from the same geographic region of France, which exhibited dominant non-syndromic hearing loss. In this report, we describe a third family with early-onset severe-to-profound non-syndromic hearing loss segregating with the W44C mutation. Our observation places W44C among recurrent mutations in the Cx26 gene and emphasizes the importance of screening for this as well as other Cx26 mutations in autosomal dominant families.     

冠心病与AGT基因M235T变异的关系

近年来血管紧张素原 (ａｎｇｉｏｔｅｎｓｉｎｏｇｅｎ ,ＡＧＴ)基因与心血管疾病的关系日益引起重视。我们对冠心病 (ｃｏｒｏｎａｒｙｈｅａｒｔｄｉｓｅａｓｅ ,ＣＨＤ)患者和正常人的ＡＧＴ基因Ｍ2 35Ｔ变异进行分析 ,以研究相关性。1　材料与方法1 1　研究对象 :1998年 5月至 2 0 0 0年 9月 ,在华西医大附一院住院的冠心病病人 119例。男 88例 ,女 31例 ,平均年龄71 5± 9 7岁。其中心绞痛型 72例 ,急性心肌梗塞和陈旧心肌梗塞型 30例 ,心律失常型 17例 ,合并原发性高血压 (ｃｅｓ ｓｅｎｔｉａｌｈｙｐｅｒｔｅｎｓｉｏｎ ,ＥＨ) 5 7…     

Prelingual deafness: high prevalence of a 30delG mutation in the connexin 26 gene

Prelingual non-syndromic (isolated) deafness is the most frequent hereditary sensory defect. In >80% of the cases, the mode of transmission is autosomal recessive. To date, 14 loci have been identified for the recessive forms (DFNB loci). For two of them, DFNB1 and DFNB2, the genes responsible have been characterized; they encode connexin 26 and myosin VIIA, respectively. In order to evaluate the extent to which the connexin 26 gene (Cx26) contributes to prelingual deafness, we searched for mutations in this gene in 65 affected Caucasian families originating from various countries, mainly tunisia, France, New Zealand and the UK. Six of these families are consanguineous, and deafness was shown to be linked to the DFNB1 locus, 10 are small non consanguineous families in which the segregation of the trait has been found to be compatible with the involvement of DFNB1, and in the remaining 49 families no linkage analysis has been performed. A total of 62 mutant alleles in 39 families were identified. Therefore, mutations in Cx26 represent a major cause of recessively inherited prelingual deafness since according to the present results they would underlie approximately half of the cases. In addition, one specific mutation, 30delG, accounts for the majority (approximately 70%) of the Cx26 mutant alleles. It is therefore one of the most frequent disease mutations so far identified. Several lines of evidence indicate that the high prevalence of the 30delG mutation arises from a mutation hot spot rather than from a founder effect. Genetic counseling for prelingual deafness has been so far considerably impaired by the difficulty in distinguishing genetic and non genetic deafness in families presenting with a single deaf child. Based on the results presented here, the development of a simple molecular test could be designed which should be of considerable help.      

Mutation R184Q of connexin 26 in hearing loss patients has a dominant-negative effect on connexin 26 and connexin 30

Hearing impairment is the most common sensory disorder worldwide. In a recent study, the authors have shown that a heterozygous missense mutation, p.R184Q, in the connexin 26 (Cx26) is causally related to hearing loss. However, the functional change in the Cx26R184Q mutant remains unknown. This study compared the intracellular distribution and assembly of mutant Cx26R184Q with that of the wild-type (WT) Cx26 and Cx30WT in tet-on HeLa cells and the effect that the mutant protein had on those cells. Fluorescent localization assay of WT Cx26 showed the typical punctuate pattern of gap junction channel between neighboring expression cells. Conversely, the p.R184Q missense mutation resulted in accumulation of the Cx26 mutant protein in the Golgi apparatus rather than in the cytoplasmic membrane. Cx26R184Q coexpressed with either Cx26WT or Cx30WT showed perinuclear localization by bidirectional tet-on expression system, suggesting the impairment of the ability of both WT proteins to intracellular trafficking and targeting to the plasma membrane. Therefore, we proposed that Cx26R184Q has a dominant-negative effect on the function of WT Cx26 and Cx30.     

Identification of mutations in the connexin 26 gene that cause autosomal recessive nonsyndromic hearing loss

Mutations in the Cx26 gene have been shown to cause autosomal recessive nonsyndromic hearing loss (ARNSHL) at the DFNB1 locus on chromosome 13q12. Using direct sequencing, we screened the Cx26 coding region of affected and nonaffected members from seven ARNSHL families either linked to the DFNB1 locus or in which the ARNSHL phenotype cosegregated with markers from chromosome 13q12. Cx26 mutations were found in six of the seven families and included two previously described mutations (W24X and W77X) and two novel Cx26 mutations: a single base pair deletion of nucleotide 35 resulting in a frameshift and a C-to-T substitution at nucleotide 370 resulting in a premature stop codon (Q124X). We have developed and optimized allele-specific PCR primers for each of the four mutations to rapidly determine carrier and noncarrier status within families. We also have developed a single stranded conformational polymorphism (SSCP) assay which covers the entire Cx26 coding region. This assay can be used to screen individuals with nonsyndromic hearing loss for mutations in the CX26 gene. Hum Mutat 11:387–394, 1998. © 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

一种新的B3变异型相关的B糖基转移酶基因M142T突变研究

目的 研究中国人个体ABO血型系统中具有混合外观凝集特征的B3变异型的分子遗传背景.方法 血型血清学方法鉴定2例ABO血型疑难样本的红细胞表型,应用连续凝集方法和13个短串联重复序列(short tandem repeat,STR)位点检测法,排除外源性或内源性DNA嵌合的可能.对ABO基因第6、7外显子和部分内含子进行聚合酶链反应和DNA序列分析,并进一步通过克隆测序法鉴定2个样本的ABO基因单倍型.结果 2个无关个体红细胞与抗-B和抗-AB发生混合外观凝集,连续凝集法和STR检测排除了样本的外源性DNA污染和内源性遗传嵌合子,根据血清学特征确定这2个个体红细胞均为A183血型.单倍型序列分析发现2个样本为A1B杂合子,其中B等位基因与B101相比,差异仅在第7外显子的425T>C错义突变,导致B糖基转移酶多肽链M142T替换.结论 在中国人群中发现一种新的可能导致B3变异型的ABO等位基因.     

一种新的B3变异型相关的B糖基转移酶基因M142T突变研究

目的 研究中国人个体ABO血型系统中具有混合外观凝集特征的B3变异型的分子遗传背景.方法 血型血清学方法鉴定2例ABO血型疑难样本的红细胞表型,应用连续凝集方法和13个短串联重复序列(short tandem repeat,STR)位点检测法,排除外源性或内源性DNA嵌合的可能.对ABO基因第6、7外显子和部分内含子进行聚合酶链反应和DNA序列分析,并进一步通过克隆测序法鉴定2个样本的ABO基因单倍型.结果 2个无关个体红细胞与抗-B和抗-AB发生混合外观凝集,连续凝集法和STR检测排除了样本的外源性DNA污染和内源性遗传嵌合子,根据血清学特征确定这2个个体红细胞均为A183血型.单倍型序列分析发现2个样本为A1B杂合子,其中B等位基因与B101相比,差异仅在第7外显子的425T>C错义突变,导致B糖基转移酶多肽链M142T替换.结论 在中国人群中发现一种新的可能导致B3变异型的ABO等位基因.     

一种新的B3变异型相关的B糖基转移酶基因M142T突变研究

目的 研究中国人个体ABO血型系统中具有混合外观凝集特征的B3变异型的分子遗传背景.方法 血型血清学方法鉴定2例ABO血型疑难样本的红细胞表型,应用连续凝集方法和13个短串联重复序列(short tandem repeat,STR)位点检测法,排除外源性或内源性DNA嵌合的可能.对ABO基因第6、7外显子和部分内含子进行聚合酶链反应和DNA序列分析,并进一步通过克隆测序法鉴定2个样本的ABO基因单倍型.结果 2个无关个体红细胞与抗-B和抗-AB发生混合外观凝集,连续凝集法和STR检测排除了样本的外源性DNA污染和内源性遗传嵌合子,根据血清学特征确定这2个个体红细胞均为A183血型.单倍型序列分析发现2个样本为A1B杂合子,其中B等位基因与B101相比,差异仅在第7外显子的425T>C错义突变,导致B糖基转移酶多肽链M142T替换.结论 在中国人群中发现一种新的可能导致B3变异型的ABO等位基因.     

一种新的B3变异型相关的B糖基转移酶基因M142T突变研究

目的 研究中国人个体ABO血型系统中具有混合外观凝集特征的B3变异型的分子遗传背景.方法 血型血清学方法鉴定2例ABO血型疑难样本的红细胞表型,应用连续凝集方法和13个短串联重复序列(short tandem repeat,STR)位点检测法,排除外源性或内源性DNA嵌合的可能.对ABO基因第6、7外显子和部分内含子进行聚合酶链反应和DNA序列分析,并进一步通过克隆测序法鉴定2个样本的ABO基因单倍型.结果 2个无关个体红细胞与抗-B和抗-AB发生混合外观凝集,连续凝集法和STR检测排除了样本的外源性DNA污染和内源性遗传嵌合子,根据血清学特征确定这2个个体红细胞均为A183血型.单倍型序列分析发现2个样本为A1B杂合子,其中B等位基因与B101相比,差异仅在第7外显子的425T>C错义突变,导致B糖基转移酶多肽链M142T替换.结论 在中国人群中发现一种新的可能导致B3变异型的ABO等位基因.     

一种新的B3变异型相关的B糖基转移酶基因M142T突变研究

目的 研究中国人个体ABO血型系统中具有混合外观凝集特征的B3变异型的分子遗传背景.方法 血型血清学方法鉴定2例ABO血型疑难样本的红细胞表型,应用连续凝集方法和13个短串联重复序列(short tandem repeat,STR)位点检测法,排除外源性或内源性DNA嵌合的可能.对ABO基因第6、7外显子和部分内含子进行聚合酶链反应和DNA序列分析,并进一步通过克隆测序法鉴定2个样本的ABO基因单倍型.结果 2个无关个体红细胞与抗-B和抗-AB发生混合外观凝集,连续凝集法和STR检测排除了样本的外源性DNA污染和内源性遗传嵌合子,根据血清学特征确定这2个个体红细胞均为A183血型.单倍型序列分析发现2个样本为A1B杂合子,其中B等位基因与B101相比,差异仅在第7外显子的425T>C错义突变,导致B糖基转移酶多肽链M142T替换.结论 在中国人群中发现一种新的可能导致B3变异型的ABO等位基因.