Comprehensive genetic testing with ethnic-specific filtering by allele frequency in a Japanese hearing-loss population

Recent advances in targeted genomic enrichment with massively parallel sequencing (TGE+MPS) have made comprehensive genetic testing for non-syndromic hearing loss (NSHL) possible. After excluding NSHL subjects with causative mutations in GJB2 and the MT-RNR1 (1555A>G) variant by Sanger sequencing, we completed TGE+MPS on 194 probands with presumed NSHL identified across Japan. We used both publicly available minor allele frequency (MAF) datasets and ethnic-specific MAF filtering against an in-house database of 200 normal-hearing Japanese controls. Ethnic-specific MAF filtering allowed us to re-categorize as common 203 variants otherwise annotated as rare or novel in non-Japanese ethnicities. This step minimizes false-positive results and improves the annotation of identified variants. Causative variants were identified in 27% of probands with solve rates of 35%, 35% and 19% for dominant, recessive and sporadic NSHL, respectively. Mutations in MYO15A and CDH23 follow GJB2 as the frequent causes of recessive NSHL; copy number variations in STRC are a major cause of mild-to-moderate NSHL. Ethnic-specific filtering by allele frequency is essential to optimize the interpretation of genetic data.