Unraveling the Genetic Basis of Combined Deafness and Male Infertility Phenotypes through High-Throughput Sequencing in a Unique Cohort from South India.

The co-occurrence of sensorineural hearing loss and male infertility has been reported in several instances, suggesting potential shared genetic underpinnings. One such example is the contiguous gene deletion of CATSPER2 and STRC genes, previously associated with deafness-infertility syndrome (DIS) in males. Fifteen males with both hearing loss and infertility from southern India after exclusion for the DIS contiguous gene deletion and the FOXI1 gene mutations are subjected to exome sequencing. This resolves the genetic etiology in four probands for both the phenotypes; In the remaining 11 probands, two each conclusively accounted for deafness and male infertility etiologies. Genetic heterogeneity is well reflected in both phenotypes. Four recessive (TRIOBP, SLC26A4, GJB2, COL4A3) and one dominant (SOX10) for the deafness; six recessive genes (LRGUK, DNAH9, ARMC4, DNAH2, RSPH6A, and ACE) for male infertility can be conclusively ascribed. LRGUK and RSPH6A genes are implicated earlier only in mice models, while the ARMC4 gene is implicated in chronic destructive airway diseases due to primary ciliary dyskinesia. This study would be the first to document the role of these genes in the male infertility phenotype in humans. The result suggests that deafness and infertility are independent events and do not segregate together among the probands.

PNPT1, MYO15A, PTPRQ, and SLC12A2-associated genetic and phenotypic heterogeneity among hearing impaired assortative mating families in Southern India.

The study was conducted between 2018 and 2020. From a cohort of 113 hearing impaired (HI), five non-DFNB12 probands identified with heterozygous CDH23 variants were subjected to exome analysis. This resolved the etiology of hearing loss (HL) in four South Indian assortative mating families. Six variants, including three novel ones, were identified in four genes: PNPT1 p.(Ala46Gly) and p.(Asn540Ser), MYO15A p.(Leu1485Pro) and p.(Tyr1891Ter), PTPRQ p.(Gln1336Ter), and SLC12A2 p.(Pro988Ser). Compound heterozygous PNPT1 variants were associated with DFNB70 causing prelingual profound sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL), vestibular dysfunction, and unilateral progressive vision loss in one family. In the second family, MYO15A variants in the myosin motor domain, including a novel variant, causing DFNB3, were found to be associated with prelingual profound SNHL. A novel PTPRQ variant was associated with postlingual progressive sensorineural/mixed HL and vestibular dysfunction in the third family with DFNB84A. In the fourth family, the SLC12A2 novel variant was found to segregate with severe-to-profound HL causing DFNA78, across three generations. Our results suggest a high level of allelic, genotypic, and phenotypic heterogeneity of HL in these families. This study is the first to report the association of PNPT1, PTPRQ, and SLC12A2 variants with HL in the Indian population.

FMR1 gene CGG repeat distribution among the three individual cohorts with intellectual disability, autism, and primary ovarian insufficiency from Tamil Nadu, Southern India.

Fragile X syndrome is the most common genetic cause of intellectual disability (ID) and is also well known to have a role in primary ovarian insufficiency (POI) and fragile X-associated tremor ataxia syndrome (FXTAS) that expresses across generations. The objective was to compare the CGG repeat variants in FMR1 gene among three correlating cohorts of ID, autism and idiopathic POI. Thirty-six patients with ID, 12 with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and 13 females with idiopathic POI were screened for FMR1 CGG repeat size by fluorescent methylation-specific PCR and GeneScan analysis, irrespective of Hagerman checklist clinical scores. Among 29 males and seven females, 11 FMR1 allelic variants ranging from 21 to >200 CGG repeats were observed. Three (CF2-3, 39-5, 44-2) out of 29 males had full mutation alleles accounting for a 10.34% incidence of FXS among idiopathic ID males. One of them was a mosaic for CGG repeats with both premutation and full mutation alleles. The frequency of fragile X syndrome is high among patients with idiopathic ID; they also had a high score for the clinical check list. A cascade testing that begins with checklist evaluation prior to DNA analysis will be cost-effective for establishing early diagnosis in South India. With the huge disease burden, there is a need for the establishment of more molecular diagnostics and self-help groups for fragile X syndrome.

Evaluation of recurrent GNPTAB, GNPTG, and NAGPA variants associated with stuttering.

Stuttering is a childhood-onset fluency disorder, intertwined with physiological, emotional, and anxiety factors. The present study was designed to evaluate the recurrence of the reported mutations among three previously implicated (GNPTAB, GNPTG, NAGPA) candidate genes, in persons with stuttering from south India. Mutation screening was performed among 64 probands on 12 specific exons, by Sanger sequencing. A total of 12 variants were identified, which included five nonsynonymous, five synonymous, and two noncoding variants. Three unrelated probands harbored heterozygous missense variants at conserved coding positions across species (p. Glu1200Lys in GNPTAB, p. Ile268Leu in GNPTG and p. Arg44Pro in NAGPA). Of these, only one variant (p. Glu1200Lys in GNPTAB) cosegregated with the affected status while p. Ile268Leu in GNPTG gene was found to be a rare de novo variant. Although this study identified some previously reported variants that have been claimed to have a role in stuttering, we confirmed only one of these to be a likely causal de novo variant (p.Ile268Leu) in the GNPTG gene at an allele frequency of 0.8% (1/128) in the families with stuttering.

Low incidence of GIPC3 variants among the prelingual hearing impaired from southern India.

The broad spectrum of causal variants in the newly discovered GIPC3 gene is well reflected in worldwide studies. Except for one missense variant, none of the reported variants had reoccurred, thus reflecting the intragenic heterogeneity. We screened all the six coding exons of GIPC3 gene in a large cohort of 177 unrelated prelingual hearing impaired after excluding the common GJB2, GJB6 nuclear and A1555G mitochondrial variants. We observed a single homozygous pathogenic frameshift variant c.685dupG (p.A229GfsX10), accounting for a low incidence (0.56%) of GIPC3 variants in south Indian population. GIPC3 being a rare gene as a causative for deafness, the allelic spectra perhaps became much more diverse from population to population, thus resulting in a minimal recurrence of the variants in our study, that were reported by authors from other parts of the globe.

Genetic analysis of SLC26A4 gene (pendrin) related deafness among a cohort of assortative mating families from southern India.

PURPOSE: Assortative mating (AM) or preferential mating is known to influence the genetic architecture of the hearing-impaired (HI) population. AM is now seen as a universal phenomenon with individuals seeking partners based on quantitative, qualitative, and behavioral phenotypes. However, the molecular genetic dynamics of AM among the HI tested in real time are limited to the DFNB1 locus. METHODS: A total of 113 HI partners from 82 South Indian families (52 deaf marrying deaf and 30 deaf marrying normal), previously excluded for DFNB1 (GJB2/6) etiology, were screened for SLC26A4 gene (DFNB4) variants. RESULTS: A spectrum of seven pathogenic variants viz., p.S90L, p.V239D, p.V359E, p.Gly389Trpfs*79 (novel), p.T410M, p.N457K and p.K715N were identified. The pathogenic allele frequency of SLC26A4 variants identified in this study was 3.98% (9/226). CONCLUSION: We recommend a preliminary screening of mutational hotspots for future investigations to rapidly test for its recurrence among South Indian HI population. This will be the first study to comprehensively account for the incidence of SLC26A4 gene variants and the real-time dynamics of DFNB4 variants among this type of a HI cohort.

The tip link protein Cadherin-23: From Hearing Loss to Cancer.

Cadherin-23 is an atypical member of the cadherin superfamily, with a distinctly long extracellular domain. It has been known to be a part of the tip links of the inner ear mechanosensory hair cells. Several studies have been carried out to understand the role of Cadherin-23 in the hearing mechanism and defects in the CDH23 have been associated with hearing impairment resulting from defective or absence of tip links. Recent studies have highlighted the role of Cadherin-23 in several pathological conditions, including cancer, suggesting the presence of several unknown functions. Initially, it was proposed that Cadherin-23 represents a yet unspecified subtype of Cadherins; however, no other proteins with similar characteristics have been identified, till date. It has a unique cytoplasmic domain that does not bear a ß-catenin binding region, but has been demonstrated to mediate cell-cell adhesions. Several protein interacting partners have been identified for Cadherin-23 and the roles of their interactions in various cellular mechanisms are yet to be explored. This review summarizes the characteristics of Cadherin-23 and its roles in several pathologies including cancer.

Rare compound heterozygosity involving dominant and recessive mutations of GJB2 gene in an assortative mating hearing impaired Indian family.

Connexin 26 (Cx-26), a gap junction protein coded by GJB2 gene, plays a very important role in recycling of potassium ions, one of the vital steps in the mechanotransduction process of hearing. Mutations in the GJB2 gene have been associated with both autosomal recessive as well as dominant nonsyndromic hearing loss. As Cx-26 is linked with skin homeostasis, mutations in this gene are sometimes associated with syndromic forms of hearing loss showing skin anomalies. We report here a non consanguineous assortatively mating hearing impaired family with one of the hearing impaired partners, their hearing impaired sibling and hearing impaired offspring showing compound heterozygosity in the GJB2 gene, involving a dominant mutation p.R184Q and two recessive mutations p.Q124X and c.IVS 1+1G>A in a unique triallelic combination. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report from India on p.R184Q mutation in the GJB2 gene associated with rare compound heterozygosity showing nonsyndromic presentation.

Genetic Epidemiology of Mitochondrial Pathogenic Variants Causing Nonsyndromic Hearing Loss in a Large Cohort of South Indian Hearing Impaired Individuals.

Mitochondria play a critical role in the generation of metabolic energy in the form of ATP. Tissues and organs that are highly dependent on aerobic metabolism are involved in mitochondrial disorders including nonsyndromic hearing loss (NSHL). Seven pathogenic variants leading to NSHL have so far been reported on two mitochondrial genes: MT-RNR1 encoding 12SrRNA and MT-TS1 encoding tRNA for Ser((UCN)) . We screened 729 prelingual NSHL subjects to determine the prevalence of MT-RNR1 variants at position m.961, m.1555A>G and m.1494C>T, and MT-TS1 m.7445A>G, m.7472insC m.7510T>C and m.7511T>C variants. Mitochondrial pathogenic variants were found in eight probands (1.1%). Five of them were found to have the m.1555A>G variant, two others had m.7472insC and one proband had m.7444G>A. The extended relatives of these probands showed variable degrees of hearing loss and age at onset. This study shows that mitochondrial pathogenic alleles contribute to about 1% prelingual hearing loss. This study will henceforth provide the reference for the prevalence of mitochondrial pathogenic alleles in the South Indian population, which to date has not been estimated. The m.1555A>G variant is a primary predisposing genetic factor for the development of hearing loss. Our study strongly suggests that mitochondrial genotyping should be considered for all hearing impaired individuals and particularly in families where transmission is compatible with maternal inheritance, after ruling out the most common variants.

Autosomal dominant hearing loss resulting from p.R75Q mutation in the GJB2 gene: nonsyndromic presentation in a South Indian family.

Mutations in the GJB2 gene encoding the gap junction protein Connexin 26 have been associated with autosomal recessive as well as dominant nonsyndromic hearing loss. Owing to the involvement of connexins in skin homeostasis, GJB2 mutations have also been associated with syndromic forms of hearing loss showing various skin manifestations. We report an assortatively mating hearing impaired family of south Indian origin with three affected members spread over two generations, having p.R75Q mutation in the GJB2 gene in the heterozygous condition. The inheritance pattern was autosomal dominant with mother and son being affected. Dermatological and histopathologic examinations showed absence of palmoplantar keratoderma. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report from India on p.R75Q mutation in the GJB2 gene with nonsyndromic hearing loss.

Non-syndromic hearing impairment in India: high allelic heterogeneity among mutations in TMPRSS3, TMC1, USHIC, CDH23 and TMIE.

Mutations in the autosomal genes TMPRSS3, TMC1, USHIC, CDH23 and TMIE are known to cause hereditary hearing loss. To study the contribution of these genes to autosomal recessive, non-syndromic hearing loss (ARNSHL) in India, we examined 374 families with the disorder to identify potential mutations. We found four mutations in TMPRSS3, eight in TMC1, ten in USHIC, eight in CDH23 and three in TMIE. Of the 33 potentially pathogenic variants identified in these genes, 23 were new and the remaining have been previously reported. Collectively, mutations in these five genes contribute to about one-tenth of ARNSHL among the families examined. New mutations detected in this study extend the allelic heterogeneity of the genes and provide several additional variants for structure-function correlation studies. These findings have implications for early DNA-based detection of deafness and genetic counseling of affected families in the Indian subcontinent.

PARK2 gene mutations in early onset Parkinson's disease patients of South India.

With the etiology being unclear till date, a combination of age, genetic and environmental factors are known to play a significant role in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease. Mutations in PARK2 gene have been implicated to cause autosomal recessive early onset PD. We analyzed the 12 coding exons of PARK2 gene in 16 early onset PD patients of South Indian ethnicity. PARK2 mutations were present in 68% of the early onset cases. We report the presence of four PARK2 sequence variants c.1239G>C, c.171+25T>C, c.202A>G, c.601G>A, and a novel insertion mutation, c.798_799insA in the exon 7 of PARK2 gene. These results suggest that mutations in PARK2 gene may be a common cause of PD among South Indian early onset patients.

Gipc3 mutations associated with audiogenic seizures and sensorineural hearing loss in mouse and human.

Sensorineural hearing loss affects the quality of life and communication of millions of people, but the underlying molecular mechanisms remain elusive. Here, we identify mutations in Gipc3 underlying progressive sensorineural hearing loss (age-related hearing loss 5, ahl5) and audiogenic seizures (juvenile audiogenic monogenic seizure 1, jams1) in mice and autosomal recessive deafness DFNB15 and DFNB95 in humans. Gipc3 localizes to inner ear sensory hair cells and spiral ganglion. A missense mutation in the PDZ domain has an attenuating effect on mechanotransduction and the acquisition of mature inner hair cell potassium currents. Magnitude and temporal progression of wave I amplitude of afferent neurons correlate with susceptibility and resistance to audiogenic seizures. The Gipc3(343A) allele disrupts the structure of the stereocilia bundle and affects long-term function of auditory hair cells and spiral ganglion neurons. Our study suggests a pivotal role of Gipc3 in acoustic signal acquisition and propagation in cochlear hair cells.

Refining the DFNB17 interval in consanguineous Indian families.

We previously mapped the DFNB17 locus to a 3-4 cM interval on human chromosome 7q31 in a large consanguineous Indian family with congenital profound sensorineural hearing loss. To further refine this interval, 30 new highly polymorphic markers and 8 SNPs were analyzed against the pedigree. Re-analysis in the original DFNB 17 family and additional data from a second unrelated consanguineous family with congenital deafness found to map to the interval, limited the area of shared homozygosity-by-descent (HBD) to approximately 4 megabase (Mb) between markers D7S2453 and D7S525. Nineteen known genes and over 20 other cDNAs have been identified in the refined DFNB 17 interval, including the SLC26A4 gene. We have analyzed 4 other cochlear-expressed genes that map to the DFNB17 interval as candidate genes. Analysis of coding and splice site regions of these cochlear expressed genes did not reveal any disease causing mutations. Further study of other candidate genes is currently underway.