Mendeliome
Gene: EHMT2 Green List (high evidence)Green List (high evidence)
EHMT1 and EHMT2 encode histone lysine methyltransferase 1 (GLP) and 2 (G9a) respectively. Together, they form heteromeric GLP/G9a complexes which catalyse H3K9 mono‑ and di‑methylation. EHMT1 is associated with Kleefstra syndrome 1.
PMID 42386776 report 7 unrelated individuals with de novo heterozygous EHMT2 missense and inframe deletion variants causing a Kleefstra‑like neurodevelopmental syndrome, with psychomotor developmental delay, intellectual disability, absent speech, structural brain anomalies, hypotonia, dental anomalies and behavioural and sleep difficulties. Additional features also included recognisable facial dysmorphism (hypertelorism, synophrys, flat face, everted lips and protruding jaw) and cardiac anomalies (septal defects, pulmonic valve stenosis, aortic coarctation). All variants are absent from gnomAD. Episignature partially overlaps with Kleefstra syndrome 1 but was reported to form its own distinct profile. Biochemical assays show severe loss of G9a activity in fibroblast cell culture collected from patient 2 (EHMT2 c.3229G>T). A heterozygous knock‑in mouse model with a patient derived variant (Ehmt2 +/del_1076-1079) recapitulated the neurobehavioural and craniofacial phenotype. In vitro studies show that patient variants encode for structurally stable G9a proteins which are catalytically incompetent due to aberrant interactions either with histone H3 tail or with S-adenosylmethionine. The proposed mechanism is dominant negative effect on the GLP/G9a complexes.
PMID 3967492 and 42434347 describe two unrelated probands with biallelic loss‑of‑function EHMT2 variants presenting with a Kleefstra‑like neurodevelopmental disorder that includes developmental delay, facial dysmorphism, vertebral anomalies and congenital heart disease. A DNA‑methylation episignature matching Kleefstra syndrome 1 was reported for both patients.
Sources: LiteratureCreated: 17 Aug 2026, 1:12 p.m. | Last Modified: 17 Aug 2026, 1:21 p.m.
Panel Version: 2.448
Mode of inheritance
BOTH monoallelic and biallelic, autosomal or pseudoautosomal
Phenotypes
Kleefstra syndrome, MONDO:0012455, EHMT2-related
Publications
Gene: ehmt2 has been classified as Green List (High Evidence).
Gene: ehmt2 has been classified as Green List (High Evidence).
gene: EHMT2 was added gene: EHMT2 was added to Mendeliome. Sources: Literature Mode of inheritance for gene: EHMT2 was set to BOTH monoallelic and biallelic, autosomal or pseudoautosomal Publications for gene: EHMT2 were set to 42434347; 42386776; 39674972 Phenotypes for gene: EHMT2 were set to Kleefstra syndrome, MONDO:0012455, EHMT2-related Review for gene: EHMT2 was set to GREEN
If promoting or demoting a gene, please provide comments to justify a decision to move it.
Genes included in a Genomics England gene panel for a rare disease category (green list) should fit the criteria A-E outlined below.
These guidelines were developed as a combination of the ClinGen DEFINITIVE evidence for a causal role of the gene in the disease(a), and the Developmental Disorder Genotype-Phenotype (DDG2P) CONFIRMED DD Gene evidence level(b) (please see the original references provided below for full details). These help provide a guideline for expert reviewers when assessing whether a gene should be on the green or the red list of a panel.
A. There are plausible disease-causing mutations(i) within, affecting or encompassing an interpretable functional region(ii) of this gene identified in multiple (>3) unrelated cases/families with the phenotype(iii).
OR
B. There are plausible disease-causing mutations(i) within, affecting or encompassing cis-regulatory elements convincingly affecting the expression of a single gene identified in multiple (>3) unrelated cases/families with the phenotype(iii).
OR
C. As definitions A or B but in 2 or 3 unrelated cases/families with the phenotype, with the addition of convincing bioinformatic or functional evidence of causation e.g. known inborn error of metabolism with mutation in orthologous gene which is known to have the relevant deficient enzymatic activity in other species; existence of an animal model which recapitulates the human phenotype.
AND
D. Evidence indicates that disease-causing mutations follow a Mendelian pattern of causation appropriate for reporting in a diagnostic setting(iv).
AND
E. No convincing evidence exists or has emerged that contradicts the role of the gene in the specified phenotype.
(i)Plausible disease-causing mutations: Recurrent de novo mutations convincingly affecting gene function. Rare, fully-penetrant mutations - relevant genotype never, or very rarely, seen in controls. (ii) Interpretable functional region: ORF in protein coding genes miRNA stem or loop. (iii) Phenotype: the rare disease category, as described in the eligibility statement. (iv) Intermediate penetrance genes should not be included.
It’s assumed that loss-of-function variants in this gene can cause the disease/phenotype unless an exception to this rule is known. We would like to collect information regarding exceptions. An example exception is the PCSK9 gene, where loss-of-function variants are not relevant for a hypercholesterolemia phenotype as they are associated with increased LDL-cholesterol uptake via LDLR (PMID: 25911073).
If a curated set of known-pathogenic variants is available for this gene-phenotype, please contact us at panelapp@genomicsengland.co.uk
We classify loss-of-function variants as those with the following Sequence Ontology (SO) terms:
Term descriptions can be found on the PanelApp homepage and Ensembl.
If you are submitting this evaluation on behalf of a clinical laboratory please indicate whether you report variants in this gene as part of your current diagnostic practice by checking the box
Standardised terms were used to represent the gene-disease mode of inheritance, and were mapped to commonly used terms from the different sources. Below each of the terms is described, along with the equivalent commonly-used terms.
A variant on one allele of this gene can cause the disease, and imprinting has not been implicated.
A variant on the paternally-inherited allele of this gene can cause the disease, if the alternate allele is imprinted (function muted).
A variant on the maternally-inherited allele of this gene can cause the disease, if the alternate allele is imprinted (function muted).
A variant on one allele of this gene can cause the disease. This is the default used for autosomal dominant mode of inheritance where no knowledge of the imprinting status of the gene required to cause the disease is known. Mapped to the following commonly used terms from different sources: autosomal dominant, dominant, AD, DOMINANT.
A variant on both alleles of this gene is required to cause the disease. Mapped to the following commonly used terms from different sources: autosomal recessive, recessive, AR, RECESSIVE.
The disease can be caused by a variant on one or both alleles of this gene. Mapped to the following commonly used terms from different sources: autosomal recessive or autosomal dominant, recessive or dominant, AR/AD, AD/AR, DOMINANT/RECESSIVE, RECESSIVE/DOMINANT.
A variant on one allele of this gene can cause the disease, however a variant on both alleles of this gene can result in a more severe form of the disease/phenotype.
A variant in this gene can cause the disease in males as they have one X-chromosome allele, whereas a variant on both X-chromosome alleles is required to cause the disease in females. Mapped to the following commonly used term from different sources: X-linked recessive.
A variant in this gene can cause the disease in males as they have one X-chromosome allele. A variant on one allele of this gene may also cause the disease in females, though the disease/phenotype may be less severe and may have a later-onset than is seen in males. X-linked inactivation and mosaicism in different tissues complicate whether a female presents with the disease, and can change over their lifetime. This term is the default setting used for X-linked genes, where it is not known definitately whether females require a variant on each allele of this gene in order to be affected. Mapped to the following commonly used terms from different sources: X-linked dominant, x-linked, X-LINKED, X-linked.
The gene is in the mitochondrial genome and variants within this can cause this disease, maternally inherited. Mapped to the following commonly used term from different sources: Mitochondrial.
Mapped to the following commonly used terms from different sources: Unknown, NA, information not provided.
For example, if the mode of inheritance is digenic, please indicate this in the comments and which other gene is involved.