Article Text
Abstract
Mutations in the transmembrane protease, serine 3 (TMPRSS3) gene, encoding a transmembrane serine protease, cause autosomal recessive deafness childhood (DFNB8) or congenital onset (DFNB10). TMPRSS3 mutations have been mainly identified in patients from Asian and Mediterranean countries and seem to be a rare finding in the Northern European population so far. The identification of two novel pathogenic TMPRSS3 mutations (c.646C→T − R216C; c.916G→A − A306T) is described in four affected siblings of German origin with postlingual hearing loss, treated by bilateral cochlear implantation with good results. Although TMPRSS3 mutations are supposed to be a rare cause of autosomal recessive hearing loss, in families with postlingual disease onset TMPRSS3 is the most favourable candidate gene after exclusion of GJB2 mutations.
- TMPRSS3, transmembrane protease, serine 3 gene
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Footnotes
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Competing interests: None declared.
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Informed consent has been obtained from patients for publication of their details in this paper.