Genetic variant

rs121908358 a variant in the FOXL2 gene

rs121908358 is a single-letter difference in the FOXL2 gene, on chromosome 3. ClinVar, the public archive of variant interpretations, lists it as pathogenic: able to cause or contribute to disease. It has been reported in connection with Blepharophimosis and Ptosis, among others. Carrying it does not, on its own, mean you have or will develop any condition.

What is this?

Your DNA is a long sequence of four letters. At a few million positions, people commonly differ by a single letter; each of those positions is called a SNP (“snip”), and rs121908358 is the catalogue number of one of them, in the FOXL2 gene. Which letters you carry there — one copy from each parent — is your genotype.

FOXL2 (forkhead box L2): This gene encodes a forkhead transcription factor. The protein contains a fork-head DNA-binding domain and may play a role in ovarian development and function. Expansion of a polyalanine repeat region and other mutations in this gene are a cause of blepharophimosis syndrome and premature ovarian failure 3. [provided by RefSeq, Jul 2016]

Gene description from NCBI Gene

Why might it matter?

ClinVar records this variant as pathogenic, meaning able to cause or contribute to disease. A classification describes the variant, not you: what it means for one person depends on their genotype, their family history and often on other genes and circumstances.

Conditions it has been reported with

Listed in ClinVar submissions for this variant. Being listed is a report of an association, not a statement that the variant causes the condition in any given person.

Do I have this variant?

If you have taken a consumer DNA test (23andMe, AncestryDNA and similar), you can download its raw data file and check. Create a free account, upload the file, and this page will show the letters you carry at rs121908358, if your test read this position.

Connect this with your blood results

A gene is a fixed instruction; a blood test shows what your body is doing now. CheckMyBloods reads the two side by side, so a variant can be set against the markers it could plausibly affect.

Blood markers do not diagnose a genetic condition, and a variant does not explain a blood result on its own. Together, with symptoms and family history, they give a clinician context.

What should I do next?

  1. Find out whether you carry it. Reading about a variant says nothing about you until you know your genotype.
  2. Put it in context. Add your blood results, so the variant can be read against what your body is doing.
  3. Ask questions. Dr. Hemsworth, our AI assistant, can explain this variant and your results in plain English.
  4. Take anything that worries you to a professional. A GP or genetic counsellor can order a confirmatory test and interpret it with your history.

This page is general information drawn from public research databases. It cannot diagnose anything, and it is not a substitute for advice from a doctor or genetic counsellor who knows your history.

Technical details

dbSNP ID
rs121908358
Gene
FOXL2
Position (GRCh38)
chr3:138946427
Variant type
snv
Consequence
stop gained
ClinVar classification
Pathogenic

How common the less frequent letter is

gnomAD ALL
0%

Sources