Autosomal dominant transmission of diabetes and congenital hearing impairment secondary to a missense mutation in the WFS1 gene.
OBJECTIVE
Mutations of the WFS1 gene have been implicated in autosomal dominant diseases, such as low-frequency sensorineural hearing impairment (LFSNHI) and/or diabetes mellitus and/or optic atrophy. The aim was to investigate WFS1 gene sequences in a family with diabetes mellitus and hearing impairment.


METHODS
Three members of a family with a maternally inherited combination of diabetes mellitus and hearing impairment, but no specific mutations in its mitochondrial genome, were investigated for mutations in the WFS1 gene.


RESULTS
This pedigree, in which the proband had non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus and congenital hearing impairment and his mother a triple combination of diabetes mellitus, hearing impairment and optic atrophy, was found to be associated with autosomal dominant transmission of the E864K mutation of the WFS1 gene.


CONCLUSIONS
In the light of this confirmatory study, we recommend the systematic analysis of WFS1 gene sequences in patients with parentally inherited diabetes mellitus and deafness (+/- optic atrophy), in particular when diabetogenic mtDNA mutations have been excluded.
Department of Nutrition, Metabolic Diseases, Endocrinology, University of Aix-Marseille 2, La Timone Hospital, Marseille, France. rvalero@mail.ap-hm.fr
R
R
Valéro
S
S
Bannwarth
S
S
Roman
V
V
Paquis-Flucklinger
B
B
Vialettes
D000328:Adult; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D034381:Hearing Loss / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D008875:Middle Aged; D020125:Mutation, Missense / Q000235:genetics*; D010375:Pedigree
D008565:Membrane Proteins; C114987:wolframin protein