The FAM136A gene helps make a small protein that supports how certain cells, especially in the inner ear, handle energy and work normally. If this gene does not work as it should, some people may develop hearing and balance problems, including spells of vertigo, ringing in the ears, and changes in hearing linked to Ménière disease. Some differences in this gene can help explain why these symptoms run in families. The FAM136A gene is mainly known in medical genetics and has not become a widely recognized public gene.
What is a gene?
A gene is a section of DNA that carries instructions your cells use to make molecules or manage activities in the body. Some genes provide the directions for producing proteins, which are the parts of cells that do much of the work. Others are mainly involved in controlling when certain processes happen, where they happen, and how active they are. Taken together, genes affect how the body grows and works, and they can influence how you respond to food, stress, or medicines. To go deeper into this topic, you can find more in the LearnHub.
Overview
FAM136AGene function
What if the gene works
The FAM136A gene makes a small protein in mitochondria, the parts of cells that make energy. It likely helps cells work normally, including cells in the inner ear.
Risk
What if the gene does not work
Variants in the FAM136A gene have been linked to familial Ménière's disease, causing episodes of vertigo, hearing loss, tinnitus, and ear fullness. Milder or more severe variants may influence when symptoms start and how much hearing and balance are affected.
Treatment
What does that mean for your treatment
No FAM136A-specific treatment or management approach is currently established, so care is guided by a person's symptoms and overall diagnosis rather than by a pathogenic variant in the FAM136A gene itself. The FAM136A gene is being studied as a possible contributor to familial Ménière disease, but this has not yet changed drug choices in routine care.
Gene function
What if the gene works
In the body, the FAM136A gene is mainly known for making a small protein that sits in mitochondria, the parts of cells that help produce energy. For people reading about what the FAM136A gene does in the body, its clearest established role is supporting normal mitochondrial cell activity.
The FAM136A gene makes a small protein that works in mitochondria, the parts of cells that help produce energy. Its usual role appears to support steady mitochondrial activity and routine cell upkeep.
What is a variant?
In genetics, a variant is a small difference in the DNA sequence within a gene. These changes are common and help account for normal human diversity, such as differences in appearance, metabolism, or how the body responds to environmental influences. Many variants do not cause any noticeable effect and are simply part of natural genetic variation. Sometimes, however, a variant has a greater impact on how a gene functions and may contribute to or cause a genetic condition.
Genetic variants
What if the gene does not work
Variants in the FAM136A gene can change the size, stability, or cell location of the FAM136A protein. Research on how FAM136A gene variants change protein function suggests that more disruptive variants may create a shortened protein that is rapidly broken down, while milder variants may partly alter folding or protein interactions. This creates a spectrum of effect, from partial loss of activity to little or no working protein in the cell.
How variants are linked to conditions
Research on how variants in the FAM136A gene are linked to conditions is still developing, and this gene does not yet have a broadly confirmed link to a specific health condition. If you have a reported FAM136A gene variant, your doctor or genetic counselor can explain what that result means in the context of your personal and family history.
A variant is not necessarily a diagnosis
Genetic variants are a routine part of human biology and are common across the general population. Most have no direct effect on health and simply reflect natural human diversity. For many genes, carrying a variant associated with a condition suggests a possible link rather than a definite diagnosis, especially when several genes and environmental factors are involved. In some situations, however, a single well-characterized variant in a specific gene can be enough to confirm a diagnosis.
Are there things that can increase or change my risk?
There isn't yet broadly confirmed evidence on specific factors that increase or reduce risk related to the FAM136A gene. People with concerns about their personal or family risk can talk with a doctor or genetic counselor.
Inheritance of FAM136A variants
There is not yet a broadly confirmed, disease-specific Mendelian pattern for the inheritance of the FAM136A gene variants, although research has explored possible links in some families. Current understanding of how FAM136A variants are inherited may become clearer as more evidence builds. The FAM136A gene is located on chromosome 2, which is an autosome, so you inherit one copy from each parent.
What does my FAM136A result mean for my family?
There is not yet a broadly confirmed inheritance pattern tied to a specific condition for FAM136A, although this may become clearer as research grows. If you have a FAM136A result and want to understand what it could mean for your relatives, a doctor or genetic counselor can help explain it in the context of your family history and health.
Genetic information
Genetic testing
How you find out about variants
To look for changes in the FAM136A gene, doctors use FAM136A genetic testing on a blood sample or saliva sample. A lab reads the DNA code and compares it with the usual sequence to see whether a variant is present. Results can show a known variant, no relevant variant, or a change whose meaning is still being clarified.
When should I consider getting a genetic test?
There is not yet a broadly established reason to get testing for the FAM136A gene on its own. Testing decisions are usually based on your symptoms, such as repeated attacks of dizziness with hearing changes, and any strong family history, together with a doctor or genetic counselor.
A genetic result is only one part of your health story
Genetic results can offer useful insight, but how much they explain depends on the condition and the kind of variant involved. Many factors, including lifestyle, environment, age, and medical history, also shape how the body functions over time. For some conditions, especially those influenced by many genes, genetic information provides context rather than certainty and is best viewed alongside other parts of care. In other situations, a genetic result may give a clear answer. In areas such as medication response, genetic results can also help make sense of individual experiences.
Pharmacogenetics
How variants shape your response to medicine
Genetic variation can affect how people respond to medicines. Small differences in DNA can change how the body absorbs, breaks down, or responds to a drug, so the same treatment may work better for one person than for another. This is common and can influence how much benefit someone gets from a medicine or how sensitive they are to side effects.
What is Pharmacogenetics?
Pharmacogenetics examines how genetic differences can shape a person’s response to medications. It looks at the relationship between genes and drugs to help explain why the same treatment may work differently from one person to another. For many medicines, genes can affect both how strongly a drug works and how the body handles it. This information can support more informed, more individualized treatment decisions. You can read more about this topic in the LearnHub.
Drugs influenced by the FAM136A gene
When should I seek medical advice?
There is not yet a broadly confirmed role for this gene in predicting how medicines will work, so any concerns about side effects, unexpected reactions, or treatment changes are best discussed with your doctor.