Genetic testing for sporadic hearing loss using targeted massively parallel sequencing identifies 10 novel mutations

The genetic heterogeneity of non-syndromic hearing loss (NSHL) has hampered the identification of its pathogenic mutations. Several recent studies applied targeted genome enrichment (TGE) and massively parallel sequencing (MPS) to simultaneously screen a large set of known hearing loss (HL) genes. However, most of these studies were focused on familial cases. To evaluate the effectiveness of TGE and MPS on screening sporadic NSHL patients, we recruited 63 unrelated sporadic NSHL probands, who had various levels of HL and were excluded for mutations in GJB2, MT-RNR1, and SLC26A4 genes. TGE and MPS were performed on 131 known HL genes using the Human Deafness Panel oto-DA3 (Otogenetics Corporation., Norcross, GA). We identified 14 pathogenic variants in STRC, CATSPER2, USH2A, TRIOBP, MYO15A, GPR98, and TMPRSS3 genes in eight patients (diagnostic rate = 12.7%). Among these variants, 10 were novel compound heterozygous mutations. The identification of pathogenic mutations could predict the progression of HL, and guide diagnosis and treatment of the disease.