GENE REFERENCE / HGNC:68

ABCD4

ATP binding cassette subfamily D member 4

protein-coding gene14q24.3Gene information

What does this gene do?

The ABCD4 gene provides instructions for making a protein that is involved in the conversion of vitamin B12 (also known as cobalamin) into one of two molecules, adenosylcobalamin (AdoCbl) or methylcobalamin (MeCbl). AdoCbl is required for the normal function of an enzyme known as methylmalonyl CoA mutase. This enzyme helps break down certain protein building blocks (amino acids), fat building blocks (fatty acids), and cholesterol. AdoCbl is called a cofactor because it helps methylmalonyl CoA mutase carry out its function. MeCbl is also a cofactor, but for an enzyme known as methionine synthase. This enzyme converts the amino acid homocysteine to another amino acid, methionine. The body uses methionine to make proteins and other important compounds.

The ABCD4 protein is found in the membrane that surrounds cell structures called lysosomes. Lysosomes are compartments within cells in which enzymes digest and recycle materials. In the lysosomal membrane, the ABCD4 protein interacts with another protein called LMBD1 (produced from the LMBRD1 gene). Together, these two proteins transport vitamin B12 out of lysosomes, making it available for further processing into AdoCbl and MeCbl.

Source: MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine. Source publication: 2022-08-02. Source review: 2022-08.

ClinGen reviews

ClinGen reviews the evidence linking a particular gene to a condition. Each rating below describes the strength of that link. It does not classify a variant in your DNA file.

Condition	Inheritance	Evidence
methylmalonic acidemia with homocystinuria, type cblJMONDO:0013925 · Evaluated 2026-01-23	Autosomal recessive	ModerateGeneral Inborn Errors of Metabolism Gene Curation Expert Panel

ClinVar records

These numbers show what has been submitted to ClinVar. They cannot tell you how likely you are to have a condition.

Submitted alleles: 593
Submissions for variants in or overlapping this gene: 961
Submissions explicitly reporting this gene: 936
Alleles reported pathogenic / likely pathogenic: 48
VariationIDs with uncertain significance: 186
VariationIDs with conflicting classifications: 14

The rows count different things: alleles, submissions or VariationIDs. Their categories can overlap, so do not add them together. Pathogenic/likely pathogenic counts exclude structural variants that merely overlap a gene. A dash in the source means “not reported,” not zero.

NCBI produces the gene-summary file each week using counts recorded at the start of the month. The numbers may differ from those on the live ClinVar website. Read the field definitions ↗

View this gene in ClinVar ↗

YOUR DNA FILE

Can your DNA file tell you about ABCD4?

From a DNA test kit (such as 23andMe, AncestryDNA or MyHeritage). These kits check a fixed list of about 600,000 to 700,000 positions across your whole genome. ClinVar lists 48 alleles in ABCD4 reported as pathogenic or likely pathogenic. A kit checks only some of these positions, and often none of them.

From whole genome sequencing (a VCF file). Sequencing reads most of your genome. Your file lists the places where your DNA differs from the reference genome. Some regions are hard to sequence, including parts of some genes that have near-identical copies elsewhere, and a VCF file does not record which positions were read well.

If a variant is not in your file, that does not mean you don’t have it.

What BioDecode checks

BioDecode compares every variant in your file with ClinVar, on your own computer. For each match, it shows the ClinVar classification, the review status and the condition it was reported for. Your file is not uploaded.

A ClinVar classification applies to one particular variant and the condition it was reported for. It does not tell you about other variants in ABCD4.

BioDecode cannot fill gaps in your test, diagnose a condition or replace clinical testing.

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