ORIGINAL ARTICLE A novel locus for autosomal recessive nonsyndromic hearing impairment, DFNB63, maps to chromosome 11q13.2–q13.4 E. Kalay & R. Caylan & A. F. Kıroglu & T. Yasar & R. W. J. Collin & J. G. A. M. Heister & J. Oostrik & C. W. R. J. Cremers & H. G. Brunner & A. Karaguzel & H. Kremer Received: 26 July 2006 / Revised: 19 October 2006 / Accepted: 25 October 2006 / Published online: 9 January 2007 # Springer-Verlag 2007 Abstract Hereditary hearing impairment is a genetically heterogeneous disorder. To date, 49 autosomal recessive nonsyndromic hearing impairment (ARNSHI) loci have been described, and there are more than 16 additional loci announced. In 25 of the known loci, causative genes have been identified. A genome scan and fine mapping revealed a novel locus for ARNSHI (DFNB63) on chromosome 11q13.2–q13.4 in a five-generation Turkish family (TR57). The homozygous linkage interval is flanked by the markers J Mol Med (2007) 85:397–404 DOI 10.1007/s00109-006-0136-3 E. Kalay : J. G. A. M. Heister : H. G. Brunner Department of Human Genetics, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands E. Kalay : R. W. J. Collin : J. Oostrik : C. W. R. J. Cremers : H. Kremer Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands E. Kalay : A. Karaguzel Department of Medical Biology and Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, Karadeniz Technical University, Trabzon, Turkey R. Caylan Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Faculty of Medicine, Karadeniz Technical University, Trabzon, Turkey A. F. Kıroglu Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Faculty of Medicine, Yuzuncu Yil University, Van, Turkey T. Yasar Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, Yuzuncu Yil University, Van, Turkey E. Kalay (*) Department of Medical Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Karadeniz Technical University, Trabzon 61080, Turkey e-mail: E.Kalay@ktu.edu.tr ERSAN KALAY received his Ph.D. in molecular genetics from the Karadeniz Technical University, School of Medicine, Trabzon, Turkey. From 2004 to 2005, he worked as a postdoctoral fellow at the Human Genetics Department of Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, The Nether- lands. Currently, he is an assis- tant professor in the Department of Medical Biology of the School of Medicine in Karade- niz Technical University, Tur- key. His research interests include single gene disorders, mainly focussing on the identi- fication of molecular defects of hearing impairment. HANNIE KREMER was trained as a biologist. She did her Ph.D. on the molecular genetics of Drosophila. In 1990, she went into the field of human genetics, and she studied the genetic defects of several skin disorders, hearing loss, and syndromes with defects in de- velopment. Since 2000, she is an assistant professor in the Department of Otorhinolaryn- gology of the Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, The Netherlands. Her research topics are nonsyn- dromic and syndromic hereditary hearing loss. Usher syndrome is an important topic.