LOCALIZATION OF A GENE FOR NON-SYNDROMIC HEARING-LOSS (DFNA5) TO CHROMOSOME 7P15

Progressive hearing loss affects approximately 50% of the elderly by t he age of 80, and is most likely caused by an interaction of genetic a nd environmental factors. Identification of the genes responsible for hereditary hearing loss is therefore important. Families with pure gen etic degenerative hearing disorders may be helpful as the same genes m ay be also involved in age-related hearing Toss in general. In this st udy we have performed a genome search in an extended Dutch family with autosomal dominant progressive hearing loss starting in the high freq uencies. The gene causing hearing loss in this family was localized to the short arm of chromosome 7, in a 15 cM interval between markers D7 S493 and D7S632.