GENE REFERENCE / HGNC:6024

IL7R

interleukin 7 receptor

protein-coding gene5p13.2Gene information

What does this gene do?

The IL7R gene provides instructions for making a protein called interleukin 7 (IL-7) receptor alpha chain. This protein is one piece of both the IL-7 receptor and the thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) receptor. These receptors are embedded in the cell membrane of immune system cells. The IL-7 receptor is found in B cells and T cells as well as the early blood-forming cells that give rise to them. The TSLP receptor is found in several types of immune cells, including B cells, T cells, monocytes, and dendritic cells. These cells identify foreign substances and defend the body against infection and disease.

At the cell surface, the IL-7 receptor interacts with a protein called IL-7. IL-7 is a cytokine, which is a protein that regulates the activity of immune system cells. The receptor and cytokine fit together like a lock and its key, triggering a series of chemical signals inside the cell. In early blood-forming cells, signaling through the IL-7 receptor ensures the development of mature B cells and T cells. IL-7 receptor signaling also stimulates the later growth and division (proliferation) and survival of these cells.

Similarly, the TSLP receptor interacts with the cytokine TSLP. Attachment of TSLP to its receptor triggers a set of signals that support proliferation and maturation of a variety of immune system cells.

Source: MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine. Source publication: 2020-08-18. Source review: 2013-04.

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
immunodeficiency 104MONDO:0012163 · Evaluated 2021-06-22	Autosomal recessive	DefinitiveSCID-CID 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: 650
Submissions for variants in or overlapping this gene: 1,035
Submissions explicitly reporting this gene: 991
Alleles reported pathogenic / likely pathogenic: 74
VariationIDs with uncertain significance: 224
VariationIDs with conflicting classifications: 21

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 IL7R?

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 74 alleles in IL7R 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 IL7R.

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

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