A novel G21R mutation of the GJB2 gene causes autosomal dominant non-syndromic congenital deafness in a Cuban family

ABSTRACT

Deafness is a complex disorder affecting 1/1000 infants. In developed countries, more than 50 percent of deafness cases are thought to have a genetic cause. At least 40 loci for dominant non-syndromic deafness and another 30 for recessive non-syndromic deafness have been described. Mutations in the GJB2 gene are the cause of an important number of cases of non-syndromic recessive deafness but are not as common in non-syndromic dominant deafness cases. We describe here a new dominant mutation (G21R) in the GJB2 gene which causes deafness and has been identified in a three generation Cuban family with dominant non-syndromic congenital sensorineural profound deafness.