DFNB59 Gene Mutation Screening Using PCR-SSCP/HA Technique in Non-syndromic Genetic Hearing Loss in Bushehr Province

Background: Hearing impairment (HI) is the most prevalent Neurosensory disorder which is heterogenous and can also occur due to environmental causes. The majority of hearing deficiencies are of genetic origin affecting about 60% of the HI cases. A novel gene DFNB59 encodes pejvakin has been recently shown to cause deafness. This study aims to determine the frequency of DFNB59 gene mutations in coding region the gene in Bushehr province. Methods: In this descriptive experimental study, we investigated the presence of DFNB59 gene mutations in Exons (2-7) of the gene in 80 deaf subjects. DNA was extracted using standard phenol –chloroform method. The screening of gene mutations was performed by PCR-SSCP/HA procedure. Finally, the possible mutations were confirmed by direct sequencing. Results: In all, 9 polymorphisms 793C>G were found in 80 non-syndromic, genetic hearing loss subjects studied. However no DFNB59 gene mutation was identified. Conclusion: We conclude that the association of DFNB59 gene mutations with hearing loss is very low in samples studies