GENE REFERENCE / HGNC:11311
SRY
sex determining region Y
What does this gene do?
The SRY gene provides instructions for making a protein called the sex-determining region Y protein. This protein is involved in male-typical sex development, which usually follows a certain pattern based on an individual's chromosomes. People usually have 46 chromosomes in each cell. Two of the 46 chromosomes, known as X and Y, are called sex chromosomes because they help determine whether a person will develop male or female sex characteristics. Girls and women typically have two X chromosomes (46,XX karyotype), while boys and men typically have one X chromosome and one Y chromosome (46,XY karyotype).
The SRY gene is found on the Y chromosome. The sex-determining region Y protein produced from this gene acts as a transcription factor, which means it attaches (binds) to specific regions of DNA and helps control the activity of particular genes. This protein starts processes that cause a fetus to develop male gonads (testes) and prevent the development of female reproductive structures (uterus and fallopian tubes).
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
We found no matching ClinGen review in the data used here. This does not rule out a link between the gene and a condition.
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
- 142
- Submissions for variants in or overlapping this gene
- 149
- Submissions explicitly reporting this gene
- 77
- Alleles reported pathogenic / likely pathogenic
- 49
- VariationIDs with uncertain significance
- 31
- VariationIDs with conflicting classifications
- 0
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 SRY?
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 49 alleles in SRY 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 SRY.
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: 2025-11-14
SHA-256: e4cd9c6d7120051b80e5e61d2aeb98bd6a541ddd21f428a6eab922c11242e053
MedlinePlus Source details
Source release: Sat, 10 Oct 2026 05:16:07 GMT
Source publication: 2023-10-27
Source review: 2022-10
SHA-256: fdc8bd614310c12718379cef6569962e5d0e791cecabcc355b53a72816ac263a
ClinVar Source details
Source release: Sun, 04 Oct 2026 13:15:29 GMT
SHA-256: 126d9e5bded1d43c0380ac6684c86f9aab056d2ff2be93d743e408ed917ae558
About the library sources · Latest validated release · Record b42828e5be9d