Explore your genetic questions
Common Gene Index
500 genes. Clear answers. Sources you can explore.
Browse by body system and biological role, or find a gene by its symbol, full name, or a word in your question. A gene can work in several parts of the body; these groups help you navigate.
500 genes · 18 groups
Cardiovascular System 18 genes
Angiogenesis & Lymphangiogenesis 5
- ANGPTL4 - Does an ANGPTL4 result mean I will develop diabetes?
- ENG - Why might ENG matter in a family with frequent nosebleeds?
- HIF1A - How does HIF1A help my body cope with low oxygen?
- NOTCH1 - Why is NOTCH1 discussed in both development and cancer?
- VEGFA - Does VEGFA only make blood vessels grow in tumors?
Cardiac Electrophysiology & Conduction 3
Myocardial Contractility & Sarcomeric Assembly 3
Vascular Endothelial Tone & Vasodilation 4
Developmental System 8 genes
Morphogenesis & Embryonic Axis Patterning 5
- APC - What does APC normally do to protect against uncontrolled growth?
- CTNNB1 - Why is CTNNB1 relevant to both tissue development and cancer?
- GDF5 - How is GDF5 related to the way my joints form?
- PAX2 - Why can a developmental gene such as PAX2 matter after birth?
- PTCH1 - How does PTCH1 help keep cell growth under control?
Endocrine System 14 genes
Neuroendocrine & Peptide Hormone Signaling 3
Steroidogenesis & Nuclear Hormone Signaling 6
- CYP17A1 - Why can CYP17A1 appear in a hormone investigation?
- CYP19A1 - What does CYP19A1 do with testosterone and estrogen?
- CYP21A2 - Why is CYP21A2 important for the adrenal glands?
- ESR1 - Is an ESR1 result equivalent to an estrogen blood level?
- HSD11B1 - How can HSD11B1 change the effects of cortisol in tissues?
- HSD17B13 - What is known about HSD17B13 and fat handling?
Thyroid Hormone Synthesis & Action 5
Gastrointestinal & Hepatic System 35 genes
Bile Acid Synthesis & Canalicular Excretion 3
Gastric & Pancreatic Digestive Secretion 3
Gastrointestinal Motility & Enteric Plexus 3
Hepatic Glycogen Storage & Gluconeogenesis 3
Intestinal Epithelial Tight Junctions 3
Intestinal Nutrient Absorption 3
Phase I & Phase II Xenobiotic Detoxification 17
- ABCB1 - Can ABCB1 explain why a medicine behaves differently in different people?
- ABCC8 - Why can ABCC8 be relevant to unusual blood-sugar problems?
- ABCG2 - What connects ABCG2 with uric acid and gout research?
- ADH1B - What does ADH1B do when I drink alcohol?
- ALDH2 - How is ALDH2 different from the first step of alcohol breakdown?
- CYP1A2 - Does my CYP1A2 result determine exactly how I process caffeine?
- CYP2B6 - Why might CYP2B6 come up in a medication review?
- CYP2C19 - Can CYP2C19 affect how a medicine works?
- CYP2C9 - Why does CYP2C9 matter when discussing warfarin?
- CYP3A4 - Does CYP3A4 affect more than one medicine?
- CYP3A5 - How is CYP3A5 related to drug metabolism?
- GSTM1 - Does a GSTM1 finding mean I need a detox supplement?
- GSTP1 - How does GSTP1 help cells handle reactive chemicals?
- NAT2 - What does being a slow acetylator mean for NAT2?
- NQO1 - What does NQO1 do to limit chemical stress in cells?
- SLCO1B1 - Why can a liver transporter such as SLCO1B1 matter for medicines?
- UGT1A1 - How does UGT1A1 help the body clear bilirubin?
Genomic Regulatory Elements 20 genes
Antisense Non-Coding RNA Regulation 3
- CDKN2B-AS1 - Why is CDKN2B-AS1 on my report if it does not make a protein?
- HOTAIR - What does HOTAIR do as a noncoding gene?
- ZFAS1 - Does ZFAS1 being mentioned in cancer research mean I have cancer?
Long Non-Coding RNA Regulation 5
- H19 - How can H19 influence development without making a protein?
- MALAT1 - What can an RNA such as MALAT1 do inside a cell?
- MEG3 - What does it mean that MEG3 is maternally expressed?
- NEAT1 - What are the nuclear structures built around NEAT1?
- PVT1 - Is a PVT1 DNA finding the same as increased PVT1 activity in a tumor?
MicroRNA Post-Transcriptional Silencing 3
Pseudogenes & Genomic Relics 3
Readthrough & Fusion Transcripts 3
- CENPS-CORT - Does CENPS-CORT automatically mean a cancer-associated gene fusion?
- INS-IGF2 - Is INS-IGF2 just another name for insulin?
- JMJD7-PLA2G4B - Why does JMJD7-PLA2G4B have two gene names joined together?
Hematologic System 11 genes
Coagulation, Fibrin Formation & Fibrinolysis 3
Hematopoiesis, Erythropoiesis & Iron Homeostasis 5
- FLT3 - Does FLT3 on a DNA report mean leukemia?
- HFE - Does an HFE result prove that I have too much iron?
- KIT - How can KIT be involved in normal cells and also be a cancer target?
- MPL - What connects MPL to my platelet count?
- RUNX1 - Why would RUNX1 be investigated in a family with blood-cell problems?
Immune System 53 genes
Antimicrobial Peptides & Mucosal Defense 3
B-Cell Receptor Signaling & Antibody Repertoire 4
Complement Activation & Opsonization 5
- C2 - What part does C2 play in the body's infection defenses?
- C3 - Why is C3 often called a central complement protein?
- CFB - How does CFB help amplify a complement response?
- CFH - Why does an immune-defense system need CFH as a regulator?
- CFI - How does CFI help prevent complement from staying active too long?
Cytokine & Chemokine Signaling 11
- IL10 - Is IL10 an immune booster or an immune brake?
- IL13 - What connects IL13 with allergy-related immune responses?
- IL17A - Why does IL17A appear in both infection and inflammation research?
- IL23R - How do immune cells receive the IL-23 signal?
- IL33 - What does IL33 do to cells involved in allergic inflammation?
- IL4R - Why can IL4R respond to more than one immune signal?
- IL6 - How is IL6 linked to fever during an immune response?
- IL6R - How is IL6R different from IL6 itself?
- LIF - Why does LIF appear in discussions of several different organs?
- TGFB1 - How does TGFB1 influence tissue growth and repair?
- TNF - Does having a TNF variant mean I need an anti-TNF medicine?
HLA & Antigen Processing Presentation 4
Immunoglobulin & T-Cell Receptor Gene Segments 3
Inflammasome Assembly & IL-1 Maturation 3
Interferon Cascades & Antiviral Defense 3
Leukocyte Extravasation & Chemotaxis 5
Mast Cell & Basophil Degranulation 3
Pattern Recognition & Innate Priming 3
Phagocytosis & Oxidative Killing 3
Integumentary System 20 genes
Dermal Extracellular Matrix Organization 6
- DCN - What helps collagen fibers form an organized tissue framework?
- MMP1 - Why would healthy tissue need an enzyme that breaks down collagen?
- MMP13 - What connects MMP13 with cartilage remodeling?
- MMP14 - How can a cell modify the tissue immediately around it?
- MMP3 - Does MMP3 work on only one kind of tissue protein?
- MMP8 - What role does MMP8 play in collagen turnover?
Hair Follicle Morphogenesis & Keratin Assembly 3
Keratinocyte Cornification & Epidermal Barrier 3
Melanogenesis & UV Photoprotection 4
Metabolic System 52 genes
Amino Acid Catabolism & Nitrogen Clearance 3
Cholesterol & Lipoprotein Metabolism 10
- ABCA1 - How does ABCA1 help move cholesterol out of cells?
- APOA5 - Why is APOA5 linked more closely with triglycerides than a general cholesterol score?
- APOB - Is an APOB variant the same thing as an ApoB blood-test result?
- APOC3 - How can APOC3 influence how quickly fats leave the bloodstream?
- APOE - Does an APOE result tell me for certain whether I will get Alzheimer's disease?
- APOL1 - Does an APOL1 finding prove that my kidneys are damaged?
- CETP - What does CETP move between cholesterol-carrying particles?
- LDLR - How does the body remove LDL cholesterol from the blood?
- LPL - How do muscles and fat tissue get energy from blood triglycerides?
- PCSK9 - Why is PCSK9 a target of cholesterol-lowering medicines?
Energy Balance, Appetite & Thermogenesis 6
- GHRL - How does an empty stomach send a hunger-related signal?
- LEP - What does leptin tell the brain about stored body fat?
- LEPR - How can leptin be present but its signal still be disrupted?
- MC4R - Does an MC4R result mean weight is entirely determined by genes?
- POMC - Why can POMC affect more than one hormone pathway?
- UCP2 - Does UCP2 tell me how many calories I burn?
Fatty Acid Beta-Oxidation (Mitochondrial & Peroxisomal) 3
Glycosylation & Glycan Biosynthesis 3
Insulin Signaling & Glucose Homeostasis 11
- ADIPOQ - What is the hormone-like signal made by fat tissue through ADIPOQ?
- AKT1 - How can AKT1 affect both cell growth and survival?
- GCK - How do pancreatic cells sense changes in glucose?
- GCKR - How is GCKR different from glucokinase itself?
- INS - Does the INS gene actually make insulin?
- INSR - What allows a cell to respond when insulin reaches it?
- IRS1 - What carries the insulin receptor's message farther into a cell?
- PPARG - How does PPARG help cells become fat cells?
- PPARGC1A - Can PPARGC1A reveal my ideal exercise program?
- SLC2A1 - How does glucose cross into the brain for fuel?
- TCF7L2 - Does a TCF7L2 risk variant mean diabetes is inevitable?
Lipogenesis & Adipocyte Lipid Storage 3
Mitochondrial Electron Transport & Oxidative Phosphorylation 5
- NDUFV1 - How does NDUFV1 help mitochondria start extracting usable energy?
- NDUFV2 - Why does a mitochondrial energy complex need NDUFV2?
- SDHA - How can SDHA connect two energy-producing pathways?
- SDHB - Does an SDHB result automatically mean I have a tumor?
- SDHD - What does SDHD do to keep an energy enzyme in place?
Purine & Pyrimidine Metabolism 3
Vitamin, Cofactor & One-Carbon Metabolism 5
Musculoskeletal System 24 genes
Bone Remodeling 6
- BMP4 - Is BMP4 only involved in making bone?
- BMP6 - How can BMP6 connect developmental signaling with iron balance?
- CTSK - Why do bones need an enzyme that breaks down tissue?
- LRP5 - How does LRP5 help cells respond to growth signals?
- MMP9 - How can tissues remodel their supporting layers?
- SOST - Why would the body deliberately limit new bone formation?
Chondrogenesis & Articular Cartilage Stability 3
Collagen Fibrillogenesis & Connective Tissue Tensile Strength 3
Excitation-Contraction Coupling 3
Myogenesis & Satellite Cell Renewal 3
Neuromuscular Junction Maintenance 3
Nervous System 28 genes
Axonal Guidance & Neurodevelopment 4
Myelination & Glial Trophic Support 3
Neuronal Excitability & Ion Flux 4
Neuropeptide & Neurotrophin Signaling 6
- AVP - How does the brain tell the kidneys to conserve water?
- BDNF - Can a BDNF result measure my ability to learn?
- CRH - How does the brain begin a hormonal stress response?
- NTRK1 - Why is NTRK1 important for sensing pain and temperature?
- NTRK2 - How do growth-supporting signals change the behavior of nerve cells?
- NTRK3 - What connects NTRK3 to knowing where my body is positioned?
Neurotransmitter Receptors & Neuromodulation 5
- ADRB2 - Why is ADRB2 called a beta-2 adrenergic receptor gene?
- ADRB3 - How can ADRB3 connect hormone signals with fat breakdown?
- DRD2 - Does a DRD2 finding mean my dopamine level is low?
- DRD4 - Can DRD4 reliably tell me my personality type?
- HTR2A - Can HTR2A alone identify the best antidepressant for me?
Synaptic Plasticity & Neurotransmission 6
- APP - Does having APP mean amyloid is building up in my brain?
- COMT - Can COMT classify me as a warrior or a worrier?
- PSEN1 - How is PSEN1 involved in processing other proteins?
- PSEN2 - Why is PSEN2 studied alongside amyloid precursor protein?
- SLC6A4 - What happens to serotonin after it sends a signal?
- SNCA - What does alpha-synuclein normally do near nerve endings?
Renal System 21 genes
Distal Nephron Acid-Base Regulation 3
Glomerular Filtration Barrier 3
Renal Phosphate & Calcium Handling 5
- CYP24A1 - Does a CYP24A1 result mean I should take more vitamin D?
- CYP27B1 - Why must vitamin D be activated before it can do its work?
- FGF23 - How do bones help the kidneys regulate phosphate?
- KL - Does the Klotho gene provide a reliable longevity score?
- VDR - Can a VDR variant tell me the vitamin D dose I need?
Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone System 4
Tubular Reabsorption, Electrolyte Transport & Urine Concentration 3
Reproductive System 15 genes
Implantation & Placental Function 3
Mammary Development & Lactogenesis 3
Oogenesis, Meiosis & Follicular Maturation 3
Sex Determination & Gonadal Differentiation 3
Respiratory System 14 genes
Airway Smooth Muscle Tone 2
Alveolar Surfactant Metabolism 4
Mucociliary Clearance & Airway Cilia 3
Pulmonary Gas Exchange & Ventilatory Control 5
- ACVRL1 - How does ACVRL1 help developing blood vessels receive instructions?
- AGER - Does the name AGER mean it measures aging?
- BMPR2 - Why is a bone-morphogenetic receptor relevant to blood vessels?
- CA9 - How can CA9 help cells adjust acidity around them?
- EIF2AK4 - How do cells slow protein production when resources are limited?
Sensory System 15 genes
Auditory & Vestibular Mechanotransduction 3
Gustatory Chemosensation 3
Nociception & Thermal Sensation 3
Olfactory Chemosensation 3
Uncharacterized Loci 3 genes
Unclassified Loci 11 genes
Unclassified Protein-Coding Locus 11
- ARMS2 - Do scientists know exactly what ARMS2 does in the eye?
- BIN1 - How can BIN1 help cells bring material inward?
- CLU - What does a chaperone protein such as clusterin do?
- GSDMB - Is GSDMB interchangeable with the related gene GSDMD?
- LPA - Is an LPA genetic finding the same as an Lp(a) blood measurement?
- MTNR1B - Does an MTNR1B result mean I should take melatonin?
- MYOC - Why might MYOC be relevant when eye pressure is being evaluated?
- SORL1 - How does SORL1 help cells sort their internal cargo?
- TM6SF2 - What connects TM6SF2 with the way cells handle fat?
- TREM2 - How does TREM2 help immune-related cells receive signals?
- TSLP - How can a tissue signal encourage an allergy-related immune response?
Universal Cellular Machinery 138 genes
Apoptosis & Programmed Cell Death 6
- BAK1 - How can mitochondria participate in a cell's decision to die?
- BAX - What helps decide whether a stressed cell survives?
- BCL2 - Why can keeping a cell alive be either helpful or harmful?
- CASP3 - What does a cell use to dismantle itself during apoptosis?
- CASP9 - How does the internal apoptosis pathway activate its cutting enzymes?
- FASLG - How can one immune cell tell another cell to undergo programmed death?
Autophagy & Lysosomal Degradation 6
- ATG16L1 - How do cells recycle worn-out parts instead of letting them accumulate?
- BECN1 - Does BECN1 show that fasting will improve my cellular health?
- GBA1 - Why does a report sometimes use GBA and sometimes GBA1?
- OPTN - What does optineurin do in the movement of materials inside cells?
- PINK1 - Why is PINK1 discussed in relation to mitochondria?
- PRKN - How do cells label proteins that need to be removed?
Calcium Signaling & EF-Hand Sensors 4
Cell Adhesion & Extracellular Matrix Architecture 4
Cell Cycle Control & Mitotic Division 9
- BIRC5 - Why is survivin often discussed in cancer research?
- CDKN1A - How does a cell pause division after DNA damage?
- CDKN1B - What is the role of p27 in controlling cell division?
- CDKN2A - How can CDKN2A supply more than one growth-control protein?
- KRAS - Does finding KRAS in a report mean the result came from a tumor?
- MDM2 - How does MDM2 regulate the tumor-suppressor protein p53?
- NRAS - What makes N-Ras a cellular switch?
- RB1 - How does RB1 stop cells from dividing at the wrong time?
- VHL - How does VHL help cells remove proteins they no longer need?
Chromatin Remodeling & Epigenetic Regulation 6
- CREBBP - Why can CREBBP affect many tissues during development?
- DNMT1 - What does DNA methylation do, and how is DNMT1 involved?
- EP300 - How does p300 help a cell turn genes on?
- HDAC1 - How can removing a chemical mark from histones change gene activity?
- KMT2A - What does KMT2A add to the proteins that package DNA?
- SMARCA4 - How do cells loosen or tighten access to their DNA?
Cilium Assembly & Centrosomal Organization 5
- BBS10 - Why do cilia need help from a protein-folding system?
- BBS2 - How can BBS2-related biology involve both eyes and kidneys?
- BBS4 - Why can a cilia disorder affect several seemingly unrelated body features?
- BBS7 - What is the BBSome that includes the BBS7 protein?
- CEP290 - Why does CEP290 matter for light-sensing cells in the eye?
Core Enzymatic Catalysis & Cofactor Chemistry 6
- DPYD - Why might DPYD be checked before certain cancer medicines?
- FTO - Does an FTO risk variant mean I cannot manage my weight?
- IDH1 - How is IDH1's normal metabolic role different from a tumor mutation?
- NUDT15 - Why can NUDT15 matter for thiopurine side effects?
- PNPLA3 - Does a PNPLA3 finding prove that I have fatty liver?
- TPMT - What does TPMT have to do with drugs such as azathioprine?
Cytoskeletal Organization & Motor Transport 4
DNA Damage Repair & Genomic Integrity 11
- ATM - How do cells notice broken DNA and coordinate a response?
- BRCA1 - Does a BRCA1 variant mean I already have cancer?
- BRCA2 - Can a negative consumer BRCA2 screen rule out inherited cancer risk?
- CHEK2 - What does CHEK2 do when DNA copying encounters a problem?
- MLH1 - How does MLH1 help correct mistakes made while DNA is copied?
- MSH2 - What helps cells locate mismatched letters in newly copied DNA?
- MSH6 - Why are MSH6 and MSH2 often listed together in DNA repair?
- MUTYH - Why does it matter whether a MUTYH finding affects one or both gene copies?
- PALB2 - How does PALB2 help the BRCA2 repair protein do its job?
- PMS2 - What is PMS2's job after a DNA-copying error is found?
- TP53 - Why is p53 often described as a guardian of damaged cells?
DNA Replication & Telomere Maintenance 4
Dephosphorylation & Phosphatase Regulation 3
Eicosanoid & Sphingolipid Mediator Signaling 4
GPCR & Transmembrane Signal Transduction 3
Mitochondrial Biogenesis & Dynamics 3
Nuclear-Cytoplasmic Transport 3
Phosphoinositide & Lipid Second Messenger Signaling 3
Phosphorylation & Kinase Signaling Cascades 12
- ALK - Does an ALK gene finding mean an ALK inhibitor is suitable?
- BRAF - Why must a BRAF result specify the exact alteration?
- CCND1 - How do cells time their progression toward division?
- CDK4 - What helps a cell pass the checkpoint before copying its DNA?
- CDK6 - Is CDK6 simply a cancer-specific protein?
- EGFR - How does an epidermal growth signal reach the inside of a cell?
- ERBB2 - Is an ERBB2 variant the same as a HER2-positive tumor result?
- JAK2 - Why is JAK2 often investigated when blood-cell counts are abnormal?
- LRRK2 - Does an LRRK2 finding make Parkinson's disease certain?
- MET - What signal does the MET receptor receive?
- PIK3CA - How can a PIK3CA change affect growth in only some tissues?
- STK11 - How does STK11 connect growth control with cellular energy use?
Protein Folding & Chaperone Quality Control 3
Protein Scaffolding & Structural Architecture 3
Proteolysis & Protease Inhibition 3
RNA Binding & Transcript Stability 3
RNA Splicing & Post-Transcriptional Processing 3
Redox Homeostasis & Oxidative Stress Defense 4
Ribosome Biogenesis & Translation 5
- EIF4E - How does the protein-making machinery find the beginning of a message?
- NPM1 - What does nucleophosmin do inside the nucleus?
- RPL5 - What part of the cell's protein factory comes from RPL5?
- RPS19 - How does RPS19 differ from a large-subunit ribosomal protein?
- RPS6KB1 - How can growth signaling increase a cell's protein production?
Small GTPase Switching & Nucleotide Exchange 3
Transcription Factor Regulation 6
- HNF1A - Why is HNF1A relevant to both the pancreas and liver?
- HNF1B - Can a gene regulator affect more than blood sugar?
- HNF4A - How can HNF4A change the activity of many metabolic genes at once?
- MYC - Why is MYC called a proto-oncogene if normal cells need it?
- SMAD3 - How does a TGF-beta signal alter gene activity?
- SMAD4 - Why does SMAD4 work with other SMAD proteins?
Transmembrane Solute & Ion Transport 3
Ubiquitin-Proteasome Degradation 3
Educational information, not an interpretation of your individual variants. Evidence and clinical usefulness depend on the specific finding.