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Genetics Library / Genes / ALMS1

GENE REFERENCE / HGNC:428

ALMS1

ALMS1 centrosome and basal body associated protein

protein-coding gene2p13.1Gene information

What does this gene do?

The ALMS1 gene provides instructions for making a protein whose function is unknown. Researchers believe that the protein may play a role in hearing, vision, regulation of body weight, and functions of the heart, kidney, lungs, and liver. It may also affect how the pancreas regulates insulin, a hormone that helps control levels of blood glucose, also called blood sugar.

The ALMS1 protein is present in most of the body's tissues, usually at low levels. Within cells, this protein is located in structures called centrosomes. Centrosomes play a role in cell division and the assembly of microtubules, which are proteins that transport materials in cells and help the cell maintain its shape. The ALMS1 protein is also found at the base of cilia, which are finger-like projections that stick out from the surface of cells. Almost all cells have cilia at some stage of their life cycle. Cilia are involved in cell movement and many different chemical signaling pathways. Based on its location within cells, researchers suggest that the ALMS1 protein might be involved in the organization of microtubules, the transport of various materials, and the normal function of cilia.

Source: MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine. Source publication: 2023-07-26. Source review: 2008-08.

Related condition topics

MedlinePlus mentions this gene in the condition pages below. These links alone do not show that the gene causes a condition.

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.

ConditionInheritanceEvidence
Alstrom syndromeMONDO:0008763 · Evaluated 2017-02-10Autosomal recessiveDefinitiveHearing Loss 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
7,611
Submissions for variants in or overlapping this gene
14,724
Submissions explicitly reporting this gene
14,600
Alleles reported pathogenic / likely pathogenic
1,101
VariationIDs with uncertain significance
3,152
VariationIDs with conflicting classifications
526

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 ALMS1?

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 1,101 alleles in ALMS1 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 ALMS1.

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

Sources and dates

The source information on this page last changed on 2026-10-24.

HGNC Source details

Open source record ↗

Source release: Fri, 16 Oct 2026 13:36:12 GMT
Source record updated: 2023-01-20

SHA-256: 72bfe0c05800163c040a2cf663c70501f9ac9236469fbd0b552f2cd37a4d7f67

MedlinePlus Source details

Open source record ↗

Source release: Sat, 24 Oct 2026 05:15:45 GMT
Source publication: 2023-07-26
Source review: 2008-08

SHA-256: fdc8bd614310c12718379cef6569962e5d0e791cecabcc355b53a72816ac263a

ClinVar Source details

Open source record ↗

Source release: Mon, 19 Oct 2026 03:41:17 GMT

SHA-256: 9a8c00a7987db98812ad59025733fd9d491e66316267e09a482adcb8cce1d14e

ClinGen Source details

Open source record ↗

Source release: Sat, 24 Oct 2026 08:06:31 GMT

SHA-256: 80a5e6a08b5ae87f6bad38cb2df1564fae7e038c575918f122170235748c85a4

About the library sources · Latest validated release · Record afc20e3c9217