GENE REFERENCE / HGNC:6231
KCNB1
potassium voltage-gated channel subfamily B member 1
What does this gene do?
The KCNB1 gene belongs to a large family of genes that provide instructions for making potassium channels. These channels, which transport positively charged atoms (ions) of potassium in and out of cells, play a key role in a cell's ability to generate and transmit electrical signals.
The KCNB1 gene provides instructions for making one part of a potassium channel called Kv2.1. These channels are found primarily in nerve cells (neurons) in the brain where they transport potassium ions out of neurons. The flow of ions through potassium channels in neurons plays a role in regulating the activity of neurons and sending electrical signals in the brain, allowing communication between these cells.
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.
| Condition | Inheritance | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| complex neurodevelopmental disorderMONDO:0100038 · Evaluated 2019-04-16 | Autosomal dominant | DefinitiveEpilepsy 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
- 909
- Submissions for variants in or overlapping this gene
- 1,414
- Submissions explicitly reporting this gene
- 1,380
- Alleles reported pathogenic / likely pathogenic
- 122
- VariationIDs with uncertain significance
- 332
- VariationIDs with conflicting classifications
- 65
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 ↗
YOUR DNA FILE
Can your DNA file tell you about KCNB1?
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 122 alleles in KCNB1 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 KCNB1.
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 2026-10-10.
HGNC Source details
Source release: Fri, 09 Oct 2026 13:40:45 GMT
Source record updated: 2023-01-20
SHA-256: e4cd9c6d7120051b80e5e61d2aeb98bd6a541ddd21f428a6eab922c11242e053
MedlinePlus Source details
Source release: Thu, 15 Apr 2021 22:01:36 GMT
Source publication: 2021-03-02
Source review: 2021-03
SHA-256: 00f6720724ebcb829bcb5321eb9e3515ee7317ad1aac08a791ad465bd397798a
ClinVar Source details
Source release: Sun, 04 Oct 2026 13:15:29 GMT
SHA-256: 126d9e5bded1d43c0380ac6684c86f9aab056d2ff2be93d743e408ed917ae558
ClinGen Source details
Source release: Sat, 10 Oct 2026 09:49:14 GMT
SHA-256: 5bbc9404c72cc21d80e36ea4c49380231755850af5c34064262adceb74881af6
About the library sources · Latest validated release · Record 89f691ee8086