[Prevalence of GJB2 mutations in Uigur and Han ethnic populations with deafness in Xinjiang region of China].
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the prevalence of GJB2 mutations in Uigur and Han ethnic groups in Xinjiang Uigur Autonomous Region, China and to understand the mutation spectrum and frequency of the GJB2 gene in these 2 ethnic groups.


METHODS
Questionnaire survey was conducted among 61 Uigur deaf-mute students, 60 Han deaf-mute students, and 98 normal Uigurs and 301 normal Han people as controls. Peripheral blood samples were collected to undergo PCR and sequencing of GJB2 gene.


RESULTS
The GJB2 mutation rate of the Uigur deaf-mute students was 19.7%, not significantly different from that of the Han deaf-mute students (17.2%). GJB2 35delG was found only in the Uigur deaf-mutes with a carrier rate of 11.5%, whereas 235delC was identified in both Uigur and Han deaf-mutes. The allelic frequency of 35delG mutation in the Uigur and Han deaf-mutes and the Uigur controls were 7.4% (9/122), 0 (0/128), and 0 (0/196) respectively. The allelic frequencies of the GJB2 235delC mutations in the Uigur and Han deaf-mute students were 5.7% and 9.8%, and the allelic frequencies of 299 - 300delAT were 0.8% and 5.5%. V27I and E114G were the most frequent types of polymorphism.


CONCLUSIONS
There is a rather high mutation rate of GJB2 gene in Xinjiang. The carrier frequency of 35delG of the Uigurs is significantly higher than that of the Han population. 235delC is common in both Uigur and Han people.
Li
Qi
Q
Department Otolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery, General Hospital of People's Liberation Army, Beijing, China.
Dai
Pu
P
Huang
De-Liang
DL
Zhang
Jin
J
Wang
Guo-Jian
GJ
Zhu
Qing-Wen
QW
Liu
Xin
X
Han
Dong-Yi
DY
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D000072259:Connexin 26; D017630:Connexins / Q000235:genetics*; D004252:DNA Mutational Analysis; D003638:Deafness / Q000208:ethnology / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D005787:Gene Frequency; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009154:Mutation; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
D017630:Connexins; C000607042:GJB2 protein, human; D000072259:Connexin 26