GENE REFERENCE / HGNC:2705

DCN

decorin

protein-coding gene12q21.33Gene information

What does this gene do?

The DCN gene provides instructions for making a protein called decorin. This protein is a component of the extracellular matrix, which is the intricate lattice of proteins and other molecules that forms in the spaces between cells. Decorin is found in the extracellular matrix of a variety of connective tissues, which support the body's joints and organs.

Decorin is involved in the organization of collagens. Collagens are proteins that strengthen and support connective tissues throughout the body. Collagens also play an important role in the cornea, which is the clear layer that covers the front of the eye. Bundles of collagen called fibrils must be strictly organized for the cornea to be transparent. Decorin helps ensure that these collagen fibrils are the right size and are regularly spaced.

Researchers have proposed several additional functions for decorin. This protein likely helps regulate the activity of multiple growth factors, which are proteins that control a range of processes that are important for cell growth and survival. Studies suggest that decorin also plays a role in the attachment of cells to one another (cell adhesion), the formation of new blood vessels (angiogenesis), and the regulation of inflammation. Decorin may also act as a tumor suppressor, which means that it keeps cells from growing and dividing (proliferating) too fast or in an uncontrolled way.

Source: MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine. Source publication: 2025-03-03. Source review: 2025-03.

ClinGen reviews

We found no matching ClinGen review in the data used here. This does not rule out a link between the gene and a condition.

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: 120
Submissions for variants in or overlapping this gene: 152
Submissions explicitly reporting this gene: 134
Alleles reported pathogenic / likely pathogenic: 5
VariationIDs with uncertain significance: 72
VariationIDs with conflicting classifications: 3

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 DCN?

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 5 alleles in DCN 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 DCN.

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

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