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Genetics Library / Genes / NAGLU

GENE REFERENCE / HGNC:7632

NAGLU

N-acetyl-alpha-glucosaminidase

protein-coding gene17q21.2Gene information

What does this gene do?

The NAGLU gene provides instructions for producing an enzyme called alpha-N-acetylglucosaminidase. This enzyme is located in lysosomes, compartments within cells that digest and recycle different types of molecules. Alpha-N-acetylglucosaminidase is involved in the step-wise breakdown of large molecules called glycosaminoglycans (GAGs). GAGs are composed of sugar molecules that are linked together to form a long string. To break down these large molecules, individual sugars are removed one at a time from one end of the molecule. Alpha-N-acetylglucosaminidase removes a sugar called N-acetylglucosamine when it is at the end of the GAG chain.

Source: MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine. Source publication: 2020-08-18. Source review: 2010-08.

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
mucopolysaccharidosis type 3BMONDO:0009656 · Evaluated 2022-08-22Autosomal recessiveDefinitiveLysosomal Diseases 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
1,473
Submissions for variants in or overlapping this gene
2,452
Submissions explicitly reporting this gene
2,431
Alleles reported pathogenic / likely pathogenic
322
VariationIDs with uncertain significance
477
VariationIDs with conflicting classifications
70

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 NAGLU?

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 322 alleles in NAGLU 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 NAGLU.

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 2026-10-17.

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, 17 Oct 2026 05:15:49 GMT
Source publication: 2020-08-18
Source review: 2010-08

SHA-256: fdc8bd614310c12718379cef6569962e5d0e791cecabcc355b53a72816ac263a

ClinVar Source details

Open source record ↗

Source release: Sun, 11 Oct 2026 06:36:01 GMT

SHA-256: b21584f8ebc89a636ce9706023fa9052460587e2ab0fe6d0edf4b9db34336c02

ClinGen Source details

Open source record ↗

Source release: Sat, 17 Oct 2026 07:46:29 GMT

SHA-256: 46d4c75fcae7dd62a9dea4988bbbd440bdc68f2db452fea1556d47b0406de60e

About the library sources · Latest validated release · Record d1c5fc5d102d