In an attempt to identify the causal mutation, nine candidate genes within the linked region were Sanger sequenced: SOBP [OMIM 613667] and FOXO3 [OMIM 602681], known to cause deafness in mice [7,8], and seven other genes (GJA10 [OMIM 611924], POU3F2 [OMIM 600494], FAXC (also known as C6orf168) [no OMIM], LIN28B [OMIM 611044], Hsa-mir-587 [no OMIM], AMD1 [OMIM 180980], and LAMA4 [OMIM 600133]), selected based on homology to known hearing loss genes or expression in the inner ear. The gene discussed is LAMA4; the disease is deafness.