OTOF mutation analysis with massively parallel DNA sequencing in 2,265 Japanese sensorineural hearing loss patients

PLoS One. 2019 May 16;14(5):e0215932. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0215932. eCollection 2019.

Abstract

The OTOF gene (Locus: DFNB9), encoding otoferlin, is reported to be one of the major causes of non-syndromic recessive sensorineural hearing loss, and is also reported to be the most common cause of non-syndromic recessive auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder (ANSD). In the present study, we performed OTOF mutation analysis using massively parallel DNA sequencing (MPS). The purpose of this study was to reveal the frequency and precise genetic and clinical background of OTOF-related hearing loss in a large hearing loss population. A total of 2,265 Japanese sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) patients compatible with autosomal recessive inheritance (including sporadic cases) from 53 otorhinolaryngology departments nationwide participated in this study. The mutation analysis of 68 genes, including the OTOF gene, reported to cause non-syndromic hearing loss was performed using MPS. Thirty-nine out of the 2,265 patients (1.72%) carried homozygous or compound heterozygous mutations in the OTOF gene. It is assumed that the frequency of hearing loss associated with OTOF mutations is about 1.72% of autosomal recessive or sporadic SNHL cases. Hearing level information was available for 32 of 39 patients with biallelic OTOF mutations; 24 of them (75.0%) showed profound hearing loss, 7 (21.9%) showed severe hearing loss and 1 (3.1%) showed mild hearing loss. The hearing level of patients with biallelic OTOF mutations in this study was mostly severe to profound, which is consistent with the results of past reports. Eleven of the 39 patients with biallelic OTOF mutations had been diagnosed with ANSD. The genetic diagnosis of OTOF mutations has significant benefits in terms of clinical decision-making. Patients with OTOF mutations would be good candidates for cochlear implantation; therefore, the detection of OTOF mutations is quite beneficial for patients, especially for those with ANSD.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • DNA Mutational Analysis*
  • Female
  • Hearing Loss, Sensorineural / diagnosis
  • Hearing Loss, Sensorineural / genetics*
  • High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing*
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Membrane Proteins / genetics*
  • Middle Aged
  • Mutation*

Substances

  • Membrane Proteins
  • OTOF protein, human

Grants and funding

This study was supported by a Health and Labour Sciences Research Grant for Research on rare and intractable diseases (H26-Nanchito(Nan)-Ippan-032) from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare of Japan (S.U.), Practical Research Project for Rare / Intractable Disease from Japan Agency for Medical Research and development (AMED) (S.U.) (16ek0109114h0002), and by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A) (15H02565) from the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture of Japan (S.U.).