The LRRC23 gene helps build and support the tail of sperm, which needs a stable inner framework to swim properly. This gene plays an important role in sperm movement, so if it does not work well, sperm may be present but move poorly. In people with certain LRRC23 variants, this can lead to reduced fertility or male infertility. Current evidence links the LRRC23 gene mainly to sperm function rather than wide effects across the body.
What is a gene?
A gene is a stretch of DNA that carries instructions your cells use to make molecules or direct processes in the body. Some genes provide the information needed to produce proteins, the active parts of cells. Other genes mainly regulate when specific processes happen, where they take place, and how strongly they occur. Together, genes affect how the body develops and works, and they can influence how you respond to food, stress, or medications. To explore this subject in more detail, you can learn more in the LearnHub.
Overview
LRRC23Gene function
What if the gene works
The LRRC23 gene helps build and support the sperm tail, the part that drives movement. This helps sperm swim normally and supports male fertility.
Risk
What if the gene does not work
Variants in the LRRC23 gene are linked mainly to male infertility, often through poor sperm movement. Milder and more severe variants can affect sperm tail function, which may influence how noticeable fertility problems become.
Treatment
What does that mean for your treatment
For people with a pathogenic or loss-of-function variant in the LRRC23 gene, no LRRC23-specific treatment or drug-selection approach is currently established.
Gene function
What if the gene works
The LRRC23 gene is mainly active in sperm cells, where it supports the tail movements needed for swimming. Understanding how the LRRC23 gene helps sperm move makes it easier to see how a sperm cell travels through the reproductive tract. Its protein works inside the tail’s tiny internal framework to keep motion controlled and efficient.
The LRRC23 gene helps form part of the sperm tail’s inner scaffold, the set of tiny supports that gives the tail its shape. This framework lets the tail bend again and again while staying organized.
Inside sperm tails, LRRC23 helps the radial spoke system, a signaling structure that coordinates movement across the tail. This helps different parts of the tail bend in a timed, orderly pattern.
By supporting coordinated tail bending, LRRC23 helps turn small internal movements into steady swimming. This is an important part of normal sperm travel through the reproductive tract.
What is a variant?
A genetic variant is a slight change in the DNA sequence of a gene. These changes are common and help make normal human diversity, including differences in appearance, metabolism, or how the body responds to environmental influences. Many variants do not cause any noticeable effect and simply represent natural genetic variation. In some cases, though, a variant can change a gene’s function more significantly and may contribute to or cause a genetic condition.
Genetic variants
What if the gene does not work
Variants in the LRRC23 gene can change the protein’s shape, reduce how much is made, or stop it from linking properly with other proteins in the sperm tail. In this way, LRRC23 gene variants may weaken the internal structure needed for coordinated tail beating, leading to reduced movement of sperm. Milder variants may leave some protein activity, while more disruptive variants often leave little or none, which can influence how marked the sperm movement problem is.
How variants are linked to conditions
People with pathogenic variants in both copies of the LRRC23 gene have a rare form of male infertility, most often asthenozoospermia, where sperm have very poor movement. In published cases, the LRRC23 gene and male infertility link centers on sperm motility problems, sometimes with changes in sperm tail structure seen on testing. This association is used in the evaluation of infertility rather than broader health conditions.
A variant is not necessarily a diagnosis
Variants are a routine part of human biology and are widely present in the general population. Most do not have a direct effect on health and simply reflect normal 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 also play a role. In some cases, though, a single well-characterized variant in a particular gene is 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 risks related to the LRRC23 gene. In families with a disease-causing change in LRRC23, the main issue is the genetic change itself rather than lifestyle or environmental factors, and personal questions about risk are best discussed with a doctor or genetic counselor.
Inheritance of LRRC23 variants
For families looking into how LRRC23 gene variants are inherited, the best-supported pattern is autosomal recessive. This means a person usually inherits one altered copy of the LRRC23 gene from each parent. Parents who each carry one variant are often unaffected carriers, and with each pregnancy there is a 25% chance their child will inherit both altered copies, a 50% chance the child will be a carrier, and a 25% chance the child will inherit neither variant. Because the LRRC23 gene is on a non-sex chromosome, this inheritance pattern is the same for males and females, even though the related health effect described so far mainly affects male fertility.
What does my LRRC23 result mean for my family?
For families of someone with a disease-causing LRRC23 result, the main concern is usually for brothers, sisters, and future children because this gene is linked to an inherited cause of male infertility that is typically passed down in a recessive pattern. Close relatives may also carry the same gene change without having symptoms, and some family members may wish to learn whether they are carriers. The chance for children or siblings depends on whether both parents carry an LRRC23 change.
Genetic information
Genetic testing
How you find out about variants
LRRC23 genetic testing looks for variants in the LRRC23 gene using DNA from blood, saliva, or a cheek swab. A lab reads the gene sequence and compares it with the usual pattern to see whether a variant is present.
When should I consider getting a genetic test?
Genetic testing may be worth discussing for men with infertility linked to very poor sperm movement or sperm tail problems, especially if similar issues run in the family. Finding a harmful change in the LRRC23 gene can help explain the cause and support family planning discussions.
A genetic result is only one part of your health story
Genetic findings can provide useful insight, but how much they explain varies by the condition and the type of variant involved. Over time, many factors, including lifestyle, environment, age, and medical history, affect how the body works. For some conditions, especially those shaped by many genes, genetic information offers context rather than certainty and is best understood alongside other parts of care. In other situations, a genetic result can 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 your body responds to medicines, so the same treatment may work differently from one person to another. Some people process a drug faster or slower, while others may be more sensitive to its effects or side effects. These inherited differences are common and can influence how well a medicine works, but they are only one part of the picture alongside age, other health conditions, and other medications.
What is Pharmacogenetics?
Pharmacogenetics examines how genetic differences can shape a person’s response to medications. It studies 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 influence how strongly a drug works or how the body handles it. This information can support treatment decisions that are both more informed and more individualized. You can read more about this topic in the LearnHub.
Drugs influenced by the LRRC23 gene
When should I seek medical advice?
There is not yet a broadly confirmed role for this gene in how medicines work, so questions about side effects, new symptoms, or whether a treatment is right for you are best discussed with your doctor.