Mendeliome
Gene: GDF6 Green List (high evidence)Green List (high evidence)
Review of literature for all OMIM phenotypes (excluding the digenic OMIM MIM#613703). Only multiple synostoses syndrome 4 MIM#617898 AD is green
Multiple synostoses syndrome 4 MIM#617898 AD - GREEN, mechanism appears to be GOF
PMID: 26643732 6 generation family with multiple synostoses Y444N fully segregating with disease (absent from gnomad). Affected individuals display bilateral wrist and ankle deformities at birth and progressive conductive deafness after age 40 years.
PMID: 29130651 4 generation family with multiple synostoses S429R (absent from gnomad). 3 distantly related affected individuals shown to have the variant.
PMID: 30733656 Another 4 generation family with multiple synostoses, N399K segregated in 6 affected members (absent from gnomad). No hearing loss in this family.
Klippel-Feil syndrome 1, autosomal dominant MIM#118100 AD - RED
PMID: 18425797 2 large families and 2 sporadic cases of KFS. 1 large family had A249E which has over 5000 hets and 16 homs in gnomad, and the 2 sporadic cases had L289P which has 204 hets and 1 hom in gnomad. the other large family had a very large inversion, GDF6 is not at the breakpoints rather 1 breakpoint is 623kb away and the paper suggests it may disrupt GDF6 long range enhancer element or its ability to interact with GDF6. PMID: 34573339 suggests that this family actually has multiple synostoses and did rt(q)PCR in affected individuals showing significantly reduced GDF6 expression- note other multiple synostoses variants were GOF.
Leber congenital amaurosis 17 MIM615360 AR (also some AD reports) - RED
PMID: 23307924 1 patient with compound heterozygous missense, 1 of which A249E has 16 homs in gnomad v4. another 3 LCA patients with only 1 missense variant each, one of which again was A249E which has homs in gnomad, the other 2 had 33 and 13 hets each and 1 was previously reported in microphthalmia/coloboma patients..
Microphthalmia, isolated 4 MIM#613094 - AMBER 4 reports of missense absent from gnomad, no functional studies. The other reports are variants common in gnomad.
PMID: 19129173 5 individuals with isolated microphthalmia, 1 again has the common in gnomad A249E variant, another has P327H which has 259 hets and 1 hom. The other 3 missense are absent or have only 4 hets.
PMID: 20494911 2 patients with microphthalmia and the common A249E variant, 1 patient with bilaterla anophthalmia and phimosis with a novel missense variant absent from gnomad M154L.
PMID: 21070663 1 patient with isolated unilateral microphthalmia and A319T (absent from gnomad). Some more microphthalmia patients with the common A249E variant and 11 with a mix of 3 synonymous variants (2 of which are common).
PMID: 24033328 1 patient with colobomatous microphthalmia and P327H common in gnomad.
PMID: 25457163 more patients with the common A249E variant.Created: 6 Feb 2026, 4:53 p.m. | Last Modified: 6 Feb 2026, 4:53 p.m.
Panel Version: 1.4256
Mode of inheritance
MONOALLELIC, autosomal or pseudoautosomal, NOT imprinted
Phenotypes
Multiple synostoses syndrome 4 MIM#617898; Klippel-Feil syndrome 1, autosomal dominant MIM#118100; Leber congenital amaurosis 17 MIM615360; Microphthalmia, isolated 4 MIM#613094
Publications
Green List (high evidence)
Only the association with Multiple synostoses syndrome 4 (MIM#617898) is convincing with 3 large families with multiple affecteds and variants being absent in gnomAD.
Reports for Klippel-Feil syndrome 1 (MIM#MIM#118100); Leber congenital amaurosis 17(MIM# 615360) and Microphthalmia, isolated 4 (MIM#613094) and renal abnormalities are tenuous.
The papers sequenced only GDF6 and the variants are present in gnomAD at very high counts for an AD condition (50-350 hets).
The AR association for LCA is also tenuous as only 1 compound het was reported and 3 hets were hypothesised to be missing a 2nd hit.Created: 6 Dec 2021, 2:30 p.m. | Last Modified: 6 Dec 2021, 2:30 p.m.
Panel Version: 0.10101
Mode of inheritance
MONOALLELIC, autosomal or pseudoautosomal, NOT imprinted
Phenotypes
Klippel-Feil syndrome 1, autosomal dominantMIM#118100; Leber congenital amaurosis 17 (MIM#615360); Microphthalmia, isolated 4 (MIM#613094); Multiple synostoses syndrome 4 (MIM#617898)
Publications
Variants in this GENE are reported as part of current diagnostic practice
Red List (low evidence)
Please note the variants originally reported in association with Klippel-Feil syndrome are present at high frequencies in gnomad (50-200 hets).Created: 7 Dec 2020, 5:21 p.m. | Last Modified: 7 Dec 2020, 5:21 p.m.
Panel Version: 0.5567
Mode of inheritance
MONOALLELIC, autosomal or pseudoautosomal, NOT imprinted
Phenotypes
Klippel-Feil syndrome 1, autosomal dominant 118100
Publications
Green List (high evidence)
Three individuals (three families) with kidney hypodysplasia and extrarenal manifestations, two of them additionally manifesting skeletal, ocular, or auricular abnormalities.
Two with same variant c.746C>A p.(Ala249Glu) and the third with c.112G>C p.(Gly38Arg).
"CRISPR/Cas9-derived knockout of Gdf6 attenuated migration of murine IMCD3 cells, an effect rescued by expression of wild-type but not mutant GDF6, indicating affected variant function regarding a fundamental developmental process. Knockdown of gdf6 in Xenopus laevis resulted in impaired pronephros development."Created: 7 Dec 2020, 5:02 p.m. | Last Modified: 7 Dec 2020, 5:02 p.m.
Panel Version: 0.5567
Mode of inheritance
MONOALLELIC, autosomal or pseudoautosomal, imprinted status unknown
Phenotypes
Klippel-Feil syndrome 1, autosomal dominant 118100; Leber congenital amaurosis 17 615360; Microphthalmia with coloboma 6, digenic 613703; Microphthalmia, isolated 4 613094; Multiple synostoses syndrome 4 617898
Publications
Phenotypes for gene: GDF6 were changed from Klippel-Feil syndrome 1, autosomal dominant 118100; Leber congenital amaurosis 17 615360; Microphthalmia with coloboma 6, digenic 613703; Microphthalmia, isolated 4 613094; Multiple synostoses syndrome 4 617898; CAKUT to Multiple synostoses syndrome 4 MIM#617898; Klippel-Feil syndrome 1, autosomal dominant MIM#118100; Leber congenital amaurosis 17 MIM615360; Microphthalmia, isolated 4 MIM#613094
Publications for gene: GDF6 were set to 18425797; 19129173; 32737436
Phenotypes for gene: GDF6 were changed from Klippel-Feil syndrome 1, autosomal dominant 118100; Leber congenital amaurosis 17 615360; Microphthalmia with coloboma 6, digenic 613703; Microphthalmia, isolated 4 613094; Multiple synostoses syndrome 4 617898 to Klippel-Feil syndrome 1, autosomal dominant 118100; Leber congenital amaurosis 17 615360; Microphthalmia with coloboma 6, digenic 613703; Microphthalmia, isolated 4 613094; Multiple synostoses syndrome 4 617898; CAKUT
Gene: gdf6 has been classified as Green List (High Evidence).
Phenotypes for gene: GDF6 were changed from to Klippel-Feil syndrome 1, autosomal dominant 118100; Leber congenital amaurosis 17 615360; Microphthalmia with coloboma 6, digenic 613703; Microphthalmia, isolated 4 613094; Multiple synostoses syndrome 4 617898
Publications for gene: GDF6 were set to 18425797; 19129173; 32737436
Publications for gene: GDF6 were set to
Mode of inheritance for gene: GDF6 was changed from Unknown to MONOALLELIC, autosomal or pseudoautosomal, NOT imprinted
gene: GDF6 was added gene: GDF6 was added to Mendeliome_VCGS. Sources: Expert Review Green,Victorian Clinical Genetics Services Mode of inheritance for gene: GDF6 was set to Unknown
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.