SLC17A8 and deafness: Disrupted expression or deletion of Vglut3 can lead to tinnitus (Zhang W. et al., 2020) and deafness (Ruel et al., 2008; Seal et al., 2008; Akil et al., 2012); previous studies have suggested that knocking out the Vglut3 allele results in decreased ribbon synapse density and the number of spiral ganglion nerves (Kim et al., 2019).