Exome sequencing identifies novel variants associated with non-syndromic hearing loss in the Iranian population.

Autosomal recessive non-syndromic hearing loss (ARNSHL) is a public health concern in the Iranian population, with an incidence of 1 in 166 live births. In the present study, the whole exome sequencing (WES) method was applied to identify the mutation spectrum of NSHL patients negative for GJB2 gene mutations. First, using ARMS PCR followed by Sanger sequencing of the GJB2 gene, 63.15% of mutations in patients with NSHL were identified. Among the identified mutations in GJB2:p.Val43Met and p.Gly21Arg were novel. The remaining patients were subjected to WES, which identified novel mutations including MYO15A:p.Gly39LeufsTer188, ADGRV1:p.Ser5918ValfsTer23, MYO7A: c.5856+2T>c (splicing mutation), FGF3:p.Ser156Cys. The present study emphasized the application of WES as an effective method for molecular diagnosis of NSHL patients negative for GJB2 gene mutations in the Iranian population.

AOPEP variants as a novel cause of recessive dystonia: Generalized dystonia and dystonia-parkinsonism.

INTRODUCTION: The genetic basis of autosomal-recessive dystonia remains poorly understood. Our objective was to report identification of additional individuals with variants in AOPEP, a recently described gene for recessively inherited dystonic disorders (OMIM:619565). METHODS: Ongoing analysis on a high-throughput genetic platform and international case-recruitment efforts were undertaken. RESULTS: Novel biallelic, likely pathogenic loss-of-function alleles were identified in two pedigrees of different ethnic background. Two members of a consanguineous Iranian family shared a homozygous c.1917-1G>A essential splice-site variant and featured presentations of adolescence-onset generalized dystonia. An individual of Chinese descent, homozygous for the nonsense variant c.1909G>T (p.Glu637*), displayed childhood-onset generalized dystonia combined with later-manifesting parkinsonism. One additional Iranian patient with adolescence-onset generalized dystonia carried an ultrarare, likely protein-damaging homozygous missense variant (c.1201C>T [p.Arg401Trp]). CONCLUSIONS: These findings support the implication of AOPEP in recessive forms of generalized dystonia and dystonia-parkinsonism. Biallelic AOPEP variants represent a worldwide cause of dystonic movement-disorder phenotypes and should be considered in dystonia molecular testing approaches.

Significant Association of miR-605 rs2043556 with Susceptibility to Breast Cancer.

BACKGROUND: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are noncoding RNA molecules, which directly regulate gene expression. It has been documented that single nucleotide polymorphisms in miRNA genes could alter the regulation of miRNA expression and function. OBJECTIVE: In this study, the allele and genotype frequency of miR-605 rs2043556 and its association with breast cancer were investigated in the Iranian population. METHODS: Genotyping was performed in 162 females affected with breast cancer and 180 healthy individuals. Genotyping was performed using Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (RFLP) followed by Sanger sequencing. RESULTS: The data showed the presence of Hardy Weinberg equilibrium (HWE) for this marker in the Iranian population. Allelic frequency for A and G allele was 0.75 and 0.25, respectively. Odd ratios for the association between miR-605 rs2043556 AG/GG genotypes was 3.86 with p-value= 0. CONCLUSION: The results indicated an increased risk for breast cancer susceptibility for miR-605 rs2043556 in the Iranian population.