The SLC25A23 gene helps mitochondria, the parts of cells that make energy, move energy related molecules and support calcium balance. If it does not work properly, cells may have trouble keeping energy production steady and handling stress signals, which can affect tissues that need a lot of energy. This gene plays an important role in how your body keeps cells working smoothly from moment to moment.
What is a gene?
Genes are sections of DNA that carry instructions your cells use to make molecules or regulate activities in the body. Some genes hold the information needed to produce proteins, the parts of cells that do much of the work. Others mainly help direct when certain processes happen, where they take place, and how strongly they run. Taken together, genes affect how the body develops and works, and they can influence how you respond to food, stress, or medications. For a closer look at this topic, you can find more in the LearnHub.
Overview
SLC25A23Gene function
What if the gene works
The SLC25A23 gene helps mitochondria, your cells’ energy centers, move phosphate and molecules used for energy across their inner membrane. This supports normal energy production and helps cells respond to calcium signals.
Risk
What if the gene does not work
Changes in the SLC25A23 gene can range from milder to more severe variants and may reduce a mitochondrion's ability to move ATP, the cell's fuel, and phosphate across the inner membrane. This can disrupt calcium based energy control in cells.
Treatment
What does that mean for your treatment
No treatment or drug choice approach based on pathogenic variants in the SLC25A23 gene is currently established in clinical guidelines.
Gene function
What if the gene works
Inside your cells, the SLC25A23 gene supports energy handling inside mitochondria, the parts that help make usable energy. Its protein sits in the inner membrane of these structures and moves key materials from one side to the other. This helps explain how the SLC25A23 gene helps mitochondria manage energy from moment to moment.
It moves ATP linked to magnesium, one packaged form of cellular energy, across the inner mitochondrial membrane. This exchange helps mitochondria share energy materials with the rest of the cell as demand changes.
It also transports phosphate, a small chemical building block your cells need to make and recycle ATP. By moving phosphate alongside energy molecules, it supports steady energy turnover inside mitochondria.
This carrier has calcium sensing parts that adjust how much it moves when nearby calcium levels change. That link helps cells match mitochondrial energy handling to everyday signals, such as muscle activity or other times of higher demand.
What is a variant?
A genetic variant is a minor difference in the DNA sequence within a gene. These differences are common and help explain normal variation among people, such as appearance, metabolism, or the way the body responds to environmental influences. Many have no noticeable effect and are simply part of natural genetic diversity. In some situations, 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 SLC25A23 gene can alter how the mitochondrial carrier protein folds, settles into the inner membrane, or senses calcium. Milder SLC25A23 gene variants may only partly reduce transport, while more severe variants can make the protein unstable or leave it with little to no ability to move ATP attached to magnesium and phosphate. In cells, that can weaken mitochondrial energy handling and signaling.
How variants are linked to conditions
Current evidence suggests the SLC25A23 gene does not yet have a broadly confirmed link to a specific health condition. Research on SLC25A23 gene variants and disease is still developing, so anyone with a confirmed variant in this gene should use their own clinical results and guidance from their doctor or genetic counselor.
A variant is not necessarily a diagnosis
Genetic variants are a usual part of human biology and are widespread in the general population. Most do not have a direct effect on health and instead reflect normal 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 contribute. In some situations, 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 risk related to the SLC25A23 gene. Anyone with concerns about their personal or family risk can speak with a doctor or genetic counselor.
Inheritance of SLC25A23 variants
There is not yet a broadly confirmed Mendelian pattern for how variants of the SLC25A23 gene are inherited in relation to a specific human condition, so answers to how variants of the SLC25A23 gene are inherited remain cautious and may change as research develops. The SLC25A23 gene is located on chromosome 19, which is an autosome. That means each person inherits one copy of the SLC25A23 gene from their mother and one copy from their father.
What does my SLC25A23 result mean for my family?
There is not yet a broadly confirmed inheritance pattern tied to a specific health condition for the SLC25A23 gene, and this picture may become clearer as research grows. If you have a specific SLC25A23 result and want to understand what it could mean for close relatives, a doctor or genetic counselor can explain it in the context of your family history and the exact change found.
Genetic information
Genetic testing
How you find out about variants
To find out whether you carry a variant in the SLC25A23 gene, genetic testing for SLC25A23 variants usually analyzes DNA from blood, saliva, or a cheek swab. A lab reads the gene’s sequence and reports whether a variant was found, often classifying it as benign, uncertain, or linked to disease.
When should I consider getting a genetic test?
There is not yet a broadly established, SLC25A23-specific reason for genetic testing in routine care. Testing decisions are best made with a doctor or genetic counselor based on your symptoms, family history, and whether this gene is relevant as part of a broader test.
A genetic result is only one part of your health story
A genetic result can provide useful insight, but what it shows depends on the condition and the specific type of variant. Over time, many factors influence how the body works, including lifestyle, environment, age, and medical history. In some conditions, especially those shaped by many genes, genetic information gives context rather than certainty and is best considered along with other parts of care. In other situations, a genetic result may offer a clear answer. In areas like medication response, genetic results can also help put individual experiences into context.
Pharmacogenetics
How variants shape your response to medicine
Genetic variation can affect how your body responds to medicines. Some people break down a drug faster or slower than others, so the same treatment may work differently from one person to the next. These inherited differences are common and can influence how much benefit a medicine provides or how sensitive someone is to side effects. Medication response also depends on other factors, including age, liver and kidney function, and other medicines you take.
What is Pharmacogenetics?
Pharmacogenetics examines how differences in genes affect the way people respond to medications. By looking at the relationship between genes and drugs, it helps explain why the same treatment may work differently from one person to another. For many medicines, genes influence both how the body processes a drug and how strong its effects are. This understanding can help support more informed, individualized treatment decisions. For a more detailed look at this topic, you can learn more in the LearnHub.
Drugs influenced by the SLC25A23 gene
When should I seek medical advice?
There is not yet a broadly confirmed role for this gene in guiding how medicines are chosen or adjusted, so general questions about side effects, new symptoms, or how a treatment is working are best discussed with your doctor.