ATG16L1 — autophagy variant tied to Crohn's
One copy of the ATG16L1 T300A variant detected.
You have one copy of a common ATG16L1 gene change that slightly raises Crohn's disease risk.
A common variant in a gene involved in autophagy; carriers have a small lifetime increase in Crohn's disease risk.
This is a common DNA change in a gene that helps cells clean up bacteria. With one copy, your lifetime Crohn's disease risk is slightly raised.
What this means
ATG16L1 supports autophagy — the cellular recycling pathway used to digest intracellular bacteria. The T300A variant subtly impairs this function. Together with NOD2 and other immune-related variants, it contributes to the polygenic risk landscape of Crohn's disease. Individually it has a small effect; in combination with NOD2 and IL23R variants the risk is more meaningful.
ATG16L1 helps your cells run a recycling process called autophagy, which they use to break down bacteria that get inside them. The T300A change makes this process work slightly less well. On its own, it nudges your Crohn's disease risk up by a small amount. Crohn's is shaped by many genes plus environment, so this finding is most useful when looked at alongside other Crohn's-linked changes — particularly in NOD2 and IL23R.
Caveats
- Modest effect size per allele.
- Not used in clinical risk stratification.
- Polygenic risk scores are more informative than any single variant.