The KRT37 gene gives instructions for a keratin protein that helps build the structure of certain hairs. When this gene does not work as expected, hair shafts may form differently, which can affect hair texture, shape, or strength. This gene plays an important role in the hair follicle, helping make growing hair more stable. The KRT37 gene is not widely known outside genetics, but it helps explain how inherited differences can influence hair formation.
What is a gene?
Genes are stretches of DNA that hold instructions your cells use to make molecules or regulate processes in the body. Some genes provide the information needed to produce proteins, the molecules that do much of the work in cells. Other genes mainly control when certain processes happen, where they take place, and how strongly they operate. Together, genes shape how the body develops and functions, and they can affect how you respond to food, stress, or medications. To explore this subject further, you can read more in the LearnHub.
Overview
KRT37Gene function
What if the gene works
The KRT37 gene helps make a hair keratin, a protein that supports the hair shaft. It works with other keratins in hair follicles to help build normal hair and keep hair fibers strong.
Risk
What if the gene does not work
Milder to more severe variants in the KRT37 gene can reduce or disrupt keratin building in hair follicle cells, weakening the structural fibers inside growing hair. This may change how strongly KRT37 protein links with other hair keratins.
Treatment
What does that mean for your treatment
No KRT37-specific treatment or drug-selection approach is currently established for pathogenic or loss-of-function variants in the KRT37 gene.
Gene function
What if the gene works
In growing hair follicles, the KRT37 gene helps build the tough inner framework of hair. Its protein becomes part of the strong fibers that give hair shape, support, and resilience. This explains what the KRT37 gene does in hair follicles during normal hair growth.
The KRT37 gene makes a keratin protein used in specialized hair follicle cells. This protein joins with other keratins to form intermediate filaments (strong support strands inside cells).
As hair grows, the KRT37 protein is built into the developing hair shaft. This helps hair producing cells create a stable, organized fiber with its usual shape.
Keratin strands containing this protein help hair handle bending, brushing, and friction. They give the hair fiber strength while allowing some flexibility in everyday wear.
What is a variant?
A genetic variant is a small difference in the DNA sequence of a gene. These differences are common and help account for normal human diversity, including variation in appearance, metabolism, and how the body responds to environmental influences. Many have no noticeable effect and are simply part of natural genetic variation. In some cases, though, a variant can change how a gene functions more substantially and may contribute to or cause a genetic condition.
Genetic variants
What if the gene does not work
Changes in the KRT37 gene can alter how the KRT37 protein folds and links with other keratin proteins inside hair forming cells. In practical terms, how KRT37 gene variants affect keratin protein function often comes down to whether the change weakens filament assembly, makes the protein less stable, or changes where it is used in the cell. Milder variants may have little measurable effect, while more disruptive variants can reduce or block normal protein interactions.
How variants are linked to conditions
At this point, the KRT37 gene does not yet have a broadly confirmed link to a specific health condition in routine medical genetics. Research on how KRT37 gene variants are linked to conditions is still developing, so anyone with a confirmed change in the KRT37 gene should rely on advice from their doctor or genetic counselor for interpretation.
A variant is not necessarily a diagnosis
Genetic variants are a normal feature of human biology and are common across the general population. Most do not directly affect health and instead reflect the natural range of human diversity. For many genes, carrying a variant associated with a condition suggests a possible link rather than a certain diagnosis, especially when several genes and environmental factors also play a part. In some situations, though, 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 is not yet broadly confirmed evidence on specific factors that increase or reduce health risk related to the KRT37 gene. If a test result mentions KRT37, a doctor or genetic counselor can help explain what it may mean in the context of your personal and family history.
Inheritance of KRT37 variants
There is not yet a broadly confirmed inheritance pattern tied to a specific KRT37-related condition, so a single mode such as autosomal dominant or autosomal recessive is not established for the KRT37 gene. For families looking into how variants of the KRT37 gene are inherited, KRT37 is located on chromosome 17, which is an autosome, so each person inherits one copy of this gene from each parent.
What does my KRT37 result mean for my family?
There is not yet a broadly confirmed inheritance pattern tied to a specific health condition for KRT37. If you have a KRT37 result and want to understand what it could mean for your relatives, a doctor or genetic counselor can explain it in the context of your exact finding and family history.
Genetic information
Genetic testing
How you find out about variants
To look for changes in the KRT37 gene, a lab can use genetic testing for KRT37 variants on a saliva or blood sample. The test reads the gene’s DNA code and checks for differences from the usual sequence. A clinician then interprets the result alongside your personal and family history.
When should I consider getting a genetic test?
KRT37 is not a gene that is commonly tested on its own in routine medical care. Decisions about genetic testing are usually based on your personal health history, symptoms, and family history, and are best made with a doctor or genetic counselor.
A genetic result is only one part of your health story
A genetic finding can provide useful insight, but what it reveals varies with the condition and the kind of variant present. Factors including lifestyle, environment, age, and medical history all influence how the body functions over time. For some conditions, particularly ones shaped by many genes, genetic information offers context rather than certainty and makes the most sense when considered with other parts of care. In other situations, a genetic result can give a clear answer. In areas like medication response, these results can also help put personal experiences into context.
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 breaks down a drug, moves it through the bloodstream, or responds to it at its target. This helps explain why the same treatment works well for one person, works less well for another, or causes more side effects in someone who is more sensitive to it.
What is Pharmacogenetics?
Pharmacogenetics examines how genetic differences affect the way people respond to medications. It focuses on gene-drug patterns to help explain why the same treatment may work differently from one person to another. For many medicines, genes influence how strongly a drug works or how the body handles it. This information can support more informed, personalized treatment decisions. You can read more about this topic in the LearnHub.
Drugs influenced by the KRT37 gene
When should I seek medical advice?
There is not yet a broadly confirmed role for this gene in guiding medication choice or response, so any concerns about side effects, new symptoms, or how well a treatment is working are best discussed with your doctor.
History
In recent decades, awareness of the KRT37 gene’s place in the keratin family has grown through research on hair related genes. It was identified during the broader effort to map human keratin genes and sort them by where they are active in the body. Early studies placed the KRT37 gene among genes linked to specialized hair structures, helping researchers distinguish hair keratins from those active mainly in skin. From these first observations, research expanded steadily. As genome mapping improved, the KRT37 gene became part of the more complete catalog of human keratin genes used in modern genetics and dermatology research. Its history is mainly tied to this larger scientific effort rather than to a single landmark public event.