Evidence · Replicated

What the research found

In the cited research, the A allele at rs855791 was associated with lower serum iron concentrations in the studied cohorts.

GG: Higher average
AG: Middle
AA: Lower average

Modest effect

What the study found

In the study, each copy went with lower serum iron on average.

European-ancestry adults in the Genetics of Iron Status Consortium (discovery and replication cohorts) · Table 1 (D+R row)

Evidence: Replicated genome-wide association with a coding variant
Who was studied: European-ancestry discovery and replication cohorts from the Genetics of Iron Status Consortium

1000 Genomes Project

How common each genotype is

How common each genotype is in the 1000 Genomes Project, by region
Region	GGHigher average	AGMiddle	AALower average
All regions2,504 people	40%	41%	19%
Africa661 people	81%	18%	<1%
The Americas347 people	24%	48%	27%
East Asia504 people	17%	53%	30%
Europe503 people	39%	45%	16%
South Asia489 people	21%	50%	29%

Among the 2,504 people of the 1000 Genomes Project, in five world regions. These percentages describe groups of people, never anyone’s chance of having a trait.

Ancient genomes

Through time

How often the studied letter was read in ancient people, era by era, in the region chosen.

Region

Through time: Europe
Before farmingbefore 6500 BC	50%27 of 54 copies read
First farmers6500 to 3000 BC	45%388 of 861 copies read
Bronze Age3000 to 1200 BC	46%349 of 753 copies read
Iron Age and Antiquity1200 BC to AD 600	41%412 of 1,008 copies read
Middle AgesAD 600 to 1500	48%238 of 492 copies read
Today1000 Genomes	39%390 of 1,006 copies

Neanderthal and Denisovan genomes

Altai Neanderthal: No copies
Vindija Neanderthal: No copies
Chagyrskaya Neanderthal: No copies
Denisovan: No copies

Neanderthals and Denisovans carried the other letter, so this letter is younger than our split with them.

For most ancient people only one of their two copies can be read, so these counts are copies read, not people. Close relatives, repeated samples and samples the archive marks as unreliable are left out. Damage in old DNA can fake this letter, so it is counted only from samples treated to remove that damage and from high-quality genomes. Ancient genomes from the Allen Ancient DNA Resource (AADR v66): 15,136 people.

rs855791

The marker

Gene or region: TMPRSS6
Marker: rs855791
Location: Chromosome 22 · GRCh37 37,462,936 · GRCh38 37,066,896
Letters studied: A and G, with A as the studied allele

A DNA Traits report reads this marker in your raw DNA file and shows which of the three genotypes is yours, with how common it is. It counts the copies of the studied allele; it does not measure the trait itself.

Marker: TMPRSS6 · rs855791
Location: Chromosome 22 · GRCh37 37,462,936 · GRCh38 37,066,896
Studied allele: A
Published statistic: beta -0.181 SD per A allele (SE 0.007), P 1.32e-139, N 48,972 (discovery + replication); discovery -0.187 (SE 0.010), P 4.31e-77, N 23,986; Table 1; 0.18 SD per copy (Table 1 (D+R row))
1000 Genomes Project phase 3, people with 0, 1 and 2 copies: All regions 1000 / 1028 / 476 · Africa 534 / 121 / 6 · The Americas 85 / 168 / 94 · East Asia 86 / 266 / 152 · Europe 194 / 228 / 81 · South Asia 101 / 245 / 143

See this card in the sample report

Limits

What it cannot tell you

This common variant is separate from rare TMPRSS6 mutations that cause inherited iron disorders. A serum iron association does not measure iron stores, absorption, hemoglobin or exercise capacity, and it is not a test for anemia or iron overload. Only the studied A/G allele pair is interpreted. It cannot tell you a current iron level, is not a test for deficiency and cannot choose a diet, supplement or dose.

Novel loci affecting iron homeostasis and their effects in individuals at risk for hemochromatosis (Benyamin et al., 2014)

The same topic

More in Nutrition & metabolism

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