title: Genetic mutations in non-syndromic deafness patients of Uyghur and Han Chinese ethnicities in Xinjiang, China: a comparative study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The deafness-associated gene mutation profile varies greatly among regions and races. Due to the multi-ethnic coalition of over one thousand years, non-syndromic deafness (NSD) patients of Uyghur ethnicity may exhibit a unique deafness-associated gene mutation spectrum as compared to Han Chinese deaf population.
  
  
  METHODS
  In order to characterize nine loci of four deafness-associated genes of Uyghur NSD patients in comparison with Chinese Han deaf population, NSD patients (n = 350) were enrolled, including Uyghur (n = 199) and Han Chinese (n = 151). Following the history taking, blood samples were collected for DNA extraction. DNA microarray was performed on nine loci of four deafness-associated genes, including 35delG, 176-191del16, 235delC, 299-300delAT, 538C > T, 1555A > G, 1494C > T, 2168A > G, and IVS7-2A > G. The samples that showed the absence of both wild and mutant probe signals were tested for further DNA sequencing analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mutations in the nine loci of prevalent deafness-associated genes were detected in 13.06% of Uyghur NSD patients and 32.45% of Han Chinese patients (P < 0.05), respectively. GJB2 mutation was detected in 9.05% of Uyghur patients and 16.56% of Han Chinese patients (P > 0.05), respectively. 235delC was the hotspot mutation region in NSD patients of the two ethnicities, whereas 35delG was the mutation hotspot in Uyghur patients. 187delG mutation was detected for the first time in Uyghur NSD patients and considered as an unreported pathological variant of GJB2. SLC26A4 mutation was found in 2.01% of Uyghur patients and 14.57% of Han Chinese patients (P < 0.05), respectively. The frequencies of mtDNA 12S rRNA mutation in Uyghur and Han Chinese patients were 2.01% and 2.65% (P > 0.05), respectively. The NSD patients exhibited a low frequency of GJB3 mutation regardless of ethnicity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Prevalent deafness-associated gene mutations in the nine loci studied were less frequently detected in Uyghur NSD patients than in Han Chinese patients. GJB2 was the most common mutant gene in the two ethnicities, whilst the two ethnicities differed substantially in hotspot mutations. A low-frequency SLC26A4 mutation was detected in Uyghur NSD patients. Uyghur NSD patients differed significantly from Han Chinese patients in gene mutation profile.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi 830054, PR China.
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Mayila
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tudi
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Chao
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: He
authors.forename: Hong-Li
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Qing
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Shang
authors.forename: Di
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: Pilidong
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kuyaxi
authors.forename: Bin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: Hua
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D044466:Asian People / Q000208:ethnology / Q000235:genetics*; D001483:Base Sequence; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology; D000072259:Connexin 26; D017630:Connexins; D004252:DNA Mutational Analysis; D003638:Deafness / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000235:genetics*; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D056426:Genetic Loci / Q000235:genetics; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006319:Hearing Loss, Sensorineural / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation / Q000235:genetics*; D015995:Prevalence; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D017630:Connexins; C000607042:GJB2 protein, human; D000072259:Connexin 26