The Spectrum of GJB2 Mutations in Korean Patients with Genetic Hearing Loss: a Functional Study and Study of Cell Growth Control by Dominant Type of GJB2 Mutants

The GJB2 mutation is mostly recessive in non-syndromic hearing loss, but specific mutations display a dominant type and syndromic hearing impairment. Both U54K and R75Q mutations present a dominant type in pedigrees with associated skin disorders. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether two GJB2 mutations can exhibit a dominant-negative effect on the growth abrogation and the gap junctional intercellular communication capacity exerted by wild-type connexin 26. A specific mutant region of GJB2 showed a loss of gap junction activity and a dominant negative effect on wild-type GJB2. The two mutants exerted a dominant-negative effect on the GJIC capacity and have independently effected GJB2 regulated growth of Hela cells; however, they have no dominant-negative growth effect on wild-type GJB2. It is proposed that the different mechanisms of the dominant-negative effect on wild-type GJB2 involve cell growth and GJIC function. This study describes mutations found in Korean deaf patients and that are typical of other east Asian regions.