Mutations in the transmembrane protease, serine 3 (TMPRSS3) gene, encoding a transmembrane serine protease, cause autosomal recessive deafness childhood (DFNB8) or congenital onset (DFNB10). TMPRSS3 mutations have been mainly identified in patients from Asian and Mediterranean countries and seem to be a rare finding in the Northern European population so far. The identification of two novel pathogenic TMPRSS3 mutations (c.646C-->T - R216C; c.916G-->A - A306T) is described in four affected siblings of German origin with postlingual hearing loss, treated by bilateral cochlear implantation with good results. Although TMPRSS3 mutations are supposed to be a rare cause of autosomal recessive hearing loss, in families with postlingual disease onset TMPRSS3 is the most favourable candidate gene after exclusion of GJB2 mutations.

Expression of costimulatory molecules by recombinant poxviruses is a promising strategy for enhancing therapeutic vaccines. CD40-CD40L interactions are critical for conditioning dendritic cells (DC) and priming T-and B-cell immunity. We constructed a vaccinia virus expressing murine CD40L (rV-CD40L) and studied its immunomodulatory properties in vitro. Direct DC infection with control vaccinia or psoralen/UV-inactivated rV-CD40L stimulated high levels of interleukin 12 (IL-12) release. However, replication-competent rV-CD40L did not stimulate IL-12 under similar conditions. We observed a high level of CD40L protein on purified viral particles and demonstrated that induction of IL-12 by nonreplicating rV-CD40L was blocked by anti-CD40 antibodies suggesting that functional CD40L on viral particles contributed to alterations in IL-12 synthesis.Since cross-presentation of tumor-associated antigens by DC is augmented by viral infection of tumor cells, we infected MC38 murine colon carcinoma cells with rV-CD40L. Infected cells stimulated IL-12 secretion by DC and proliferation of B cells and DX5 þ (NK/NKT) cells through direct CD40-CD40L interaction. A subpopulation of NKT cells expressing CD40 (NK1.1 þ , CD3 lo ) appeared to be a major effector population responding to MC38/rV-CD40L. These results highlight the complex immune regulatory effects of rV-CD40L defined by the cumulative effects of CD40L expression, presence of CD40L protein in viral particles, and the replication potential of the virus.