Carrier Status for p.Gly61Glu and p.Arg368His Mutations Causing Primary Congenital Glaucoma in Iran.

PURPOSE

To estimate carrier frequencies of mutations p.Gly61Glu and p.Arg368His, respectively, in Talesh and the east of Guilan province in Iran with a maximum error of 2%. Previously, it was shown that these mutations may be relatively prevalent in these regions.

METHODS

Population-based screenings were performed. DNA was extracted from saliva samples of 1036 individuals from Talesh and 3029 individuals from the east of Guilan. P.Gly61Glu and p.Arg368His screenings were performed, respectively, by RFLP and ARMS-based PCR protocols. For confirmation, the DNA of individuals with mutations was sequenced using the Sanger protocol.

RESULTS

Nine individuals from Talesh (0.86%; 95%CI: 0.45-1.64%) carried the p.Gly61Glu mutation, and 73 from the east of Guilan (2.41%; 95%CI: 1.91-3.04%) carried p.Arg368His. There was no significant difference in frequencies between urban and rural regions of the various cities, nor among four cities within the east of Guilan.

CONCLUSION

The frequencies of p.Gly61Glu carriers in Talesh and of p.Arg368His carriers in the east of Guilan were within the 95% confidence interval of a previous study based on screenings of fewer individuals. The reliability of the recent estimates is higher, as the confidence interval for p.Gly61Glu decreased from 6.5% to 1.19% and the interval for p.Arg368His decreased from 4% to 1.13%. Based on the new findings, the maximum expected frequency of p.Gly61Glu carriers in Talesh is 1.64%, and of p.Arg368His carriers in the east of Guilan is 3%. The need for performing premarital screenings in the respective cities can be evaluated.