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.