GENE REFERENCE / HGNC:7606

MYO7A

myosin VIIA

protein-coding gene11q13.5Gene information

What does this gene do?

The MYO7A gene provides instructions for making a protein called myosin VIIA, which is part of a group of proteins called unconventional myosins. These proteins, which have similar structures, help transport molecules within cells. Myosins interact with actin, a protein that is important for cell movement and shape. Researchers believe that myosins use long filaments of actin as tracks along which to transport other molecules.

Myosin VIIA is made in the inner ear and in the retina, which is the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye. In the inner ear, myosin VIIA plays a role in the development and maintenance of hairlike projections called stereocilia. Stereocilia, which are rich in actin, line the inner ear and bend in response to sound waves. This bending motion is critical for converting sound waves to nerve impulses, which are then transmitted to the brain. Stereocilia are also elements of the vestibular system, the part of the inner ear that helps maintain the body's balance and orientation in space. Bending of these stereocilia is needed to transmit signals from the vestibular system to the brain.

In the retina, myosin VIIA is found primarily in a thin layer of cells called the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). Myosin VIIA probably plays a role in the development and maintenance of this tissue, which supports and nourishes the retina. Research suggests that one function of myosin VIIA is to carry small sacs of pigment (called melanosomes) within the RPE. This pigment is necessary for normal vision. Myosin VIIA is also found in other parts of the retina, where it likely carries additional proteins and molecules that are important for vision.

Source: MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine. Source publication: 2023-04-17. Source review: 2016-05.

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
Usher syndrome type 1MONDO:0010168 · Evaluated 2018-06-28	Autosomal recessive	DefinitiveHearing Loss Gene Curation Expert Panel
nonsyndromic genetic hearing lossMONDO:0019497 · Evaluated 2018-03-19	Autosomal dominant	DefinitiveHearing 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: 5,246
Submissions for variants in or overlapping this gene: 11,131
Submissions explicitly reporting this gene: 10,931
Alleles reported pathogenic / likely pathogenic: 1,025
VariationIDs with uncertain significance: 1,654
VariationIDs with conflicting classifications: 386

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 MYO7A?

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 1,025 alleles in MYO7A 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 MYO7A.

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

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