The SLC25A37 gene helps move iron into mitochondria, the parts of cells that use it to make heme, a key part of hemoglobin. This gene plays an important role in helping developing red blood cells carry oxygen. If it does not work properly, the body may struggle to make healthy red blood cells, which can lead to anemia, tiredness, paleness, and shortness of breath.
What is a gene?
A gene is a stretch of DNA that carries instructions your cells use to make molecules or regulate 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 mostly help manage when certain processes happen, where they happen, and how active they are. Taken together, genes affect how the body grows and works, and they may also influence how you respond to food, stress, or medicines. For a deeper look at this topic, you can read more in the LearnHub.
Overview
SLC25A37Gene function
What if the gene works
The SLC25A37 gene helps move iron into mitochondria, where cells make heme for hemoglobin. This supports red blood cell production and normal energy use.
Risk
What if the gene does not work
Milder or more severe variants in the SLC25A37 gene can reduce iron transport into mitochondria, especially in developing red blood cells. This can disrupt heme production, the step that helps the body make hemoglobin.
Treatment
What does that mean for your treatment
No SLC25A37-specific treatment or drug-choice approach is currently established in clinical guidelines for people with pathogenic or loss-of-function variants in the SLC25A37 gene.
Gene function
What if the gene works
Your cells need a steady iron supply to make key molecules and support energy production. The SLC25A37 gene helps carry iron into mitochondria, the parts of cells that help make energy. This is especially important in developing red blood cells, where iron is used to build hemoglobin and helps explain what the SLC25A37 gene does in the body.
The SLC25A37 gene helps move iron from the cell fluid into mitochondria. This gives mitochondria the iron they need for routine cell work.
In developing red blood cells, that iron is used to make heme, the iron holding part of hemoglobin. This supports the normal building of red blood cells that carry oxygen through the body.
Mitochondria also use iron to build iron sulfur clusters (small iron and sulfur helpers used by many proteins). These helpers support enzymes involved in energy production and other steady cell tasks.
What is a variant?
A genetic variant is a minor change in a gene’s DNA sequence. These changes are common and help shape normal human diversity, including differences in appearance, metabolism, and the way the body reacts to environmental influences. Many do not have any noticeable effect and are simply part of natural genetic variation. Sometimes, though, a variant changes how a gene functions more significantly and can contribute to or cause a genetic condition.
Genetic variants
What if the gene does not work
How variants influence the SLC25A37 gene's function depends on the specific DNA change. Some variants may alter the protein's shape or stability, so less iron is moved into mitochondria, while others can interfere with where the protein sits inside these cell structures or stop it from working almost completely. Milder variants may leave some activity, but more severe variants can cause a much larger loss of transport.
How variants are linked to conditions
SLC25A37 gene variants linked to conditions are still being studied, and the SLC25A37 gene does not yet have a broadly confirmed connection to one specific health condition. Anyone with a confirmed variant in the SLC25A37 gene should rely on guidance from their doctor or genetic counselor rather than general information.
A variant is not necessarily a diagnosis
Gene variants are a normal feature of human biology and are common throughout the general population. Most have no direct impact on health and simply represent natural human diversity. For many genes, carrying a variant associated with a condition suggests a possible link rather than a definite diagnosis, especially when multiple genes and environmental factors contribute. In some situations, though, a single well-characterized variant in a specific 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 SLC25A37 gene. For many living with a change in this gene, risk seems to depend mainly on the exact genetic change rather than everyday lifestyle factors, so personal guidance from a doctor or genetic counselor is most helpful.
Inheritance of SLC25A37 variants
There is not yet a broadly confirmed Mendelian pattern for how SLC25A37 gene variants are inherited in relation to a specific inherited condition, so the inheritance picture for SLC25A37 gene variants remains an area of ongoing study. The SLC25A37 gene is located on chromosome 8, which is an autosome, so you inherit one copy from each parent. In general, this means how SLC25A37 gene variants are inherited is not expected to differ between males and females.
What does my SLC25A37 result mean for my family?
There is not yet a broadly confirmed inheritance pattern tied to a specific health condition for SLC25A37, although this can become clearer as research grows. If you have a specific SLC25A37 result and want to understand what it may mean for your relatives, a doctor or genetic counselor can help explain it in the context of your family history.
Genetic information
Genetic testing
How you find out about variants
SLC25A37 genetic testing looks for variants in the SLC25A37 gene using a DNA sample, usually from blood or saliva. A lab reads the gene's sequence and compares it with the usual pattern to find changes that may help explain inherited sideroblastic anemia or related findings. Results are usually classified as benign, uncertain, or pathogenic variants.
When should I consider getting a genetic test?
There isn't yet a broadly established SLC25A37-specific clinical reason for testing. Decisions about testing are usually based on your health history, blood test results, and family history, together with a doctor or genetic counselor.
A genetic result is only one part of your health story
A genetic result can provide valuable insight, but how much it explains varies by the condition and the specific type of variant. How the body functions over time is shaped by many factors, including lifestyle, environment, age, and medical history. In some conditions, especially those influenced by many genes, genetic information provides context rather than certainty and is best interpreted alongside 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 people respond to medicines. This helps explain why the same treatment may work well for one person, seem less effective for another, or cause more side effects in someone else. One reason is that inherited differences can change how the body absorbs, breaks down, transports, or responds to a drug, and this kind of variation is common.
What is Pharmacogenetics?
Pharmacogenetics is the area of study focused on how genetic differences affect the way people respond to medications. It examines gene and drug patterns 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 processes it. This information can support more informed and more individualized treatment decisions. If you want to learn more about this topic, you can find additional information in the LearnHub.
Drugs influenced by the SLC25A37 gene
When should I seek medical advice?
There is not yet a broadly confirmed role for this gene in guiding medicine choices, so questions about side effects, new symptoms, or how a treatment is working are best discussed with your doctor.