GENE REFERENCE / HGNC:16287

NFU1

NFU1 iron-sulfur cluster scaffold

protein-coding gene2p13.3Gene information

What does this gene do?

The NFU1 gene provides instructions for making a protein involved in the formation of molecules called iron-sulfur (Fe-S) clusters. These clusters are attached to certain other proteins and are required for their proper function.

Two versions (isoforms) of the NFU-1 protein are produced from the NFU1 gene. One version is found in cellular structures called mitochondria. Mitochondria are the energy-producing centers of cells. In these structures, several proteins carry out a series of chemical steps to convert the energy in food into a form that cells can use. Many of the proteins involved in this process require Fe-S clusters to function, including protein complexes called complex I, complex II, and complex III.

Fe-S clusters are also required for another mitochondrial protein to function; this protein is involved in the modification of additional proteins that aid in energy production in mitochondria, including the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex and the alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex. This modification is also critical to the function of the glycine cleavage system, a set of proteins that breaks down a protein building block (amino acid) called glycine when levels become too high.

The other version of the NFU-1 protein is found in the fluid-filled space inside the cell (the cytoplasm). While this protein is likely involved in Fe-S cluster formation in the cytoplasm, the role of this isoform is not well understood.

Source: MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine. Source publication: 2020-08-18. Source review: 2015-05.

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
mitochondrial diseaseMONDO:0044970 · Evaluated 2023-07-11	Autosomal recessive	DefinitiveMitochondrial 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: 239
Submissions for variants in or overlapping this gene: 367
Submissions explicitly reporting this gene: 343
Alleles reported pathogenic / likely pathogenic: 20
VariationIDs with uncertain significance: 85
VariationIDs with conflicting classifications: 13

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 NFU1?

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 20 alleles in NFU1 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 NFU1.

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

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