GENE REFERENCE / HGNC:7146

TRPM1

transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily M member 1

protein-coding gene15q13.3Gene information

What does this gene do?

The TRPM1 gene provides instructions for making a protein called transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily M member 1 (TRPM1). This protein acts as a channel, transporting positively charged atoms (cations) into cells. The TRPM1 channel is found on the surface of two types of cells: pigment-producing cells called melanocytes and specialized bipolar cells in the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye (the retina).

In melanocytes, the TRPM1 channel is thought to play a role in the production of a pigment called melanin, which is the substance that gives skin, hair, and eyes their color (pigmentation). It is unclear what role the channel plays, but increased channel activity is associated with greater melanin production and darker pigmentation.

In bipolar cells, TRPM1 channels are involved in the pathway that receives visual signals from cells called rods, which are used to see in low light. This signaling is an essential step in the transmission of visual information from the eyes to the brain. In low-light conditions, visual signals from rod cells trigger the TRPM1 channels to close, which causes visual signals to be transmitted. In bright-light conditions, the TRPM1 channel is open, allowing cations to flow in and out of bipolar cells and preventing visual signals from being sent.

Source: MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine. Source publication: 2023-05-04. Source review: 2014-01.

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
TRPM1-related retinopathyMONDO:0800402 · Evaluated 2022-10-06	Autosomal recessive	DefinitiveRetina 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: 1,804
Submissions for variants in or overlapping this gene: 2,709
Submissions explicitly reporting this gene: 2,350
Alleles reported pathogenic / likely pathogenic: 143
VariationIDs with uncertain significance: 752
VariationIDs with conflicting classifications: 108

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 TRPM1?

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 143 alleles in TRPM1 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 TRPM1.

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

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