Background: The gene for cardiac troponin T (TNNT2) is 1 of 7 autosomal disease genes implicated in familial dilated cardiomyopathy (FDC). Identical deletions in exon 13 of TNNT2 have been reported in 2 families with FDC, but little is known about the frequency of this deletion among patients with FDC and idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (IDC) and the associated phenotype.
Methods And Results: Exon 13 of the cardiac troponin T gene was sequenced in 61 subjects with FDC and 53 subjects with IDC.