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Genetics Library / Genes / NPHS1

GENE REFERENCE / HGNC:7908

NPHS1

NPHS1 adhesion molecule, nephrin

protein-coding gene19q13.12Gene information

What does this gene do?

The NPHS1 gene provides instructions for making a protein called nephrin. Nephrin is primarily found in the kidneys, which are organs that filter waste products from the blood and remove them in urine. Specifically, nephrin is found in cells called podocytes, which are located in specialized kidney structures called glomeruli. Nephrin is located at the cell surface in the area between two podocytes called the slit diaphragm. The slit diaphragm is known as a filtration barrier because it captures proteins in blood so that they remain in the body while allowing other molecules like sugars and salts to be excreted in urine. Nephrin proteins on one cell interact with nephrin proteins on adjacent podocytes, forming a zipper-like structure. This structure allows the passage of small molecules through the slit diaphragm while preventing larger molecules like proteins from passing through. Nephrin proteins are essential for forming the slit diaphragm, anchoring the slit diaphragm to podocytes, and filtering blood.

Nephrin is also involved in cell signaling. It relays signals from outside the cell to inside the cell. Additionally, nephrin proteins on the surface of adjacent cells send and receive signals, allowing podocytes to communicate with one another.

Source: MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine. Source publication: 2022-07-05. Source review: 2016-07.

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
congenital nephrotic syndrome, Finnish typeMONDO:0009732 · Evaluated 2022-01-10Autosomal recessiveDefinitiveGlomerulopathy 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
2,195
Submissions for variants in or overlapping this gene
3,871
Submissions explicitly reporting this gene
3,822
Alleles reported pathogenic / likely pathogenic
538
VariationIDs with uncertain significance
499
VariationIDs with conflicting classifications
146

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 NPHS1?

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 538 alleles in NPHS1 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 NPHS1.

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: 2022-07-05
Source review: 2016-07

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 a7b8c371a2ba