Molecular alteration in the Gap Junction Beta 2 () gene associated with non-syndromic sensorineural hearing impairment.

Non-syndromic sensory neural hearing defect is one of the genetic diseases inherited from parents to offerings. The autosomal recessive form affects a large population worldwide and has become a major concern in the social and professional lives of many people. There are many factors and genes which are involved in hearing loss but the Gap Junction Beta 2 () gene which encodes the connexin 26 protein, is a major cause of non-syndromic recessive deafness (NSRD). This study aims to record and analyze gene mutations in the hearing-impaired population of North Karnataka, India. In this study, we included 368 congenitally hearing-impaired children from North Karnataka, India, under 18 years of age. After thorough clinical examinations, patient's history and proper audiological results, peripheral blood samples were collected and subjected to genetic analysis. We recorded that 54.8% of the NSRD cases have an autosomal recessive mutation in the coding region of the gene. The frequency of W24X (25%) mutation was found to be high in the present study population. From this study we can suggest that, identifying this mutation in new-borns definitely helps in the early diagnosis of hearing loss.