Genetic variant

rs12203592 a variant in the IRF4 gene

rs12203592 is a single-letter difference in the IRF4 gene, on chromosome 6. It has been reported in connection with Skin/hair/eye pigmentation, variation in and 8. 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 rs12203592 is the catalogue number of one of them, in the IRF4 gene. Which letters you carry there — one copy from each parent — is your genotype.

IRF4 (interferon regulatory factor 4): The protein encoded by this gene belongs to the IRF (interferon regulatory factor) family of transcription factors, characterized by an unique tryptophan pentad repeat DNA-binding domain. The IRFs are important in the regulation of interferons in response to infection by virus, and in the regulation of interferon-inducible genes.

Gene description from NCBI Gene

plos rs12203592 showed the largest allele frequency difference between the Irish individuals and tho...

From SNPedia

Why might it matter?

ClinVar holds no clinical classification for this variant. That is the usual case: most catalogued variants have no known effect on health.

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 rs12203592, 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
rs12203592
Gene
IRF4
Position (GRCh38)
chr6:396320
Variant type
snv
Consequence
intron variant
ClinVar classification
Affects

Genome-wide association studies (20)

TraitRisk alleleOR / betaP-valueStudy
Low tan response T OR 0.55 1E-581 PubMed
Youthful appearance (self-reported) C OR 1.22 1E-327 PubMed
Other non-epithelial cancer of skin (PheCode 172.2) C OR 0.39 1E-323 PubMed
Actinic keratosis (PheCode 702.1) C OR 0.45 1E-323 PubMed
Skin cancer C OR 0.37 1E-323 PubMed
Degenerative skin conditions and other dermatoses (PheCode 702) C OR 0.31 1E-323 PubMed
Actinic keratosis (PheCode 702.1) C OR 0.45 1E-323 PubMed
Skin cancer C OR 0.38 1E-323 PubMed
Skin cancer C OR 0.38 1E-323 PubMed
Other non-epithelial cancer of skin (PheCode 172.2) C OR 0.39 1E-323 PubMed
Eye color T OR 0.39 2E-321 PubMed
Keratinocyte cancer (MTAG) T OR 1.45 2E-302 PubMed
Sunburns — — 1E-300 PubMed
Melanomas of skin, dx or hx (PheCode 172.1) C OR 0.36 2E-298 PubMed
Degenerative skin conditions and other dermatoses (PheCode 702) C OR 0.3 3E-291 PubMed
Basal cell carcinoma T OR 1.41 6E-270 PubMed
Skin cancer C OR 0.37 3E-265 PubMed
Squamous cell carcinoma (PheCode 172.22) C OR 0.47 3E-238 PubMed
Neoplasm of uncertain behavior of skin (PheCode 173) C OR 0.29 3E-236 PubMed
Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma T OR 1.6 1E-234 PubMed

How common the less frequent letter is

1kG AFR
99.2%
1kG ALL
96.3%
1kG AMR
92.8%
1kG EAS
100%
1kG EUR
88.4%
1kG SAS
0.6%

Sources