KMT2D

protein-coding

lysine methyltransferase 2D, the group of PHD finger proteins|SET domain containing|Lysine methyltransferases

Gene summary

The protein encoded by this gene is a histone methyltransferase that methylates the Lys-4 position of histone H3. The encoded protein is part of a large protein complex called ASCOM, which has been shown to be a transcriptional regulator of the beta-globin and estrogen receptor genes. Mutations in this gene have been shown to be a cause of Kabuki syndrome. [provided by RefSeq, Oct 2010]

Previous symbols:
  • TNRC21
  • MLL2

MANE transcript

NM_003482.4

Inheritance

AD

ClinVar variants

P:1075U:2254B:3227

Top phenotype

Branchial arch abnormalities, choanal atresia, athelia, hearing loss, and hypothyroidism syndrome; Kabuki syndrome 1

gnomAD constraint

pLI —, LoF o/e 0.07

Max pathogenic AF

—

Genomic locus

chr12:49,018,975-49,060,794

External References & Databases

Transcript & Mutation Effects

hg38 • Region Span ~41.8 kb
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GenCC Phenotypes & Disease Associations

Curated gene-disease validity assertions and inheritance patterns

Kabuki syndrome 1DEFINITIVE

Inheritance Pattern: AD

Disease ID:MONDO:0007843

Submitter: Ambry Genetics

choanal atresia-athelia-hypothyroidism-delayed puberty-short stature syndromeDEFINITIVE

Inheritance Pattern: AD

Disease ID:MONDO:0035651

Submitter: G2P

Kabuki syndrome 1DEFINITIVE

Inheritance Pattern: AD

Disease ID:MONDO:0007843

Submitter: G2P

choanal atresia-athelia-hypothyroidism-delayed puberty-short stature syndromeMODERATE

Inheritance Pattern: AD

Disease ID:MONDO:0035651

Submitter: Illumina

Kabuki syndrome 1STRONG

Inheritance Pattern: AD

Disease ID:MONDO:0007843

Submitter: Labcorp Genetics (formerly Invitae)

choanal atresia-athelia-hypothyroidism-delayed puberty-short stature syndromeSTRONG

Inheritance Pattern: AD

Disease ID:MONDO:0035651

Submitter: PanelApp Australia

branchial arch abnormalities, choanal atresia, athelia, hearing loss, and hypothyroidism syndromeSTRONG

Inheritance Pattern: AD

Disease ID:MONDO:0859345

Submitter: Labcorp Genetics (formerly Invitae)

Kabuki syndrome 1STRONG

Inheritance Pattern: AD

Disease ID:MONDO:0007843

Submitter: PanelApp Australia

Kabuki syndrome 1DEFINITIVE

Inheritance Pattern: AD

Disease ID:MONDO:0007843

Submitter: Laboratory for Molecular Medicine

This gene-disease relationship has undergone rapid assessment. Classifications are based on preliminary review of gene-disease validity during analysis of genomic sequencing results.

Kabuki syndromeSUPPORTIVE

Inheritance Pattern: AD

Disease ID:MONDO:0016512

Submitter: Orphanet

Kabuki syndrome 1DEFINITIVE

Inheritance Pattern: AD

Disease ID:MONDO:0007843

Submitter: ClinGen

*KMT2D* was first reported as a causative gene for autosomal dominant Kabuki syndrome in 2010 (PMID: 20711175). This gene encodes the enzyme lysine-specific methyltransferase 2D (KMT2D). *KMT2D* binds multiple co-factors including the paired box (PAX) transactivation domain interacting protein (PTIP) and is part of the COMPASS (COMplex of Proteins Associated with SET1), which plays a key role in B cell terminal differentiation. Evidence supporting this gene-disease relationship includes case-level and experimental data. There have been many cases reported with a broad spectrum of clinical features including growth delay, long palpebral fissures, frequent infections and others. The resulting syndrome is often referred to as Kabuki Syndrome 1. Kabuki syndrome is characterized by typical facial features (long palpebral fissures with eversion of the lateral third of the lower eyelid; arched and broad eyebrows; short columella with depressed nasal tip; large, prominent, or cupped ears), minor skeletal anomalies, persistence of fetal fingertip pads, mild-to-moderate intellectual disability, and postnatal growth deficiency. Other findings may include congenital heart defects (CHD), genitourinary anomalies, cleft lip and/or palate, gastrointestinal anomalies including anal atresia, ptosis and strabismus, and widely spaced teeth and hypodontia. Prevalence of CHD in Kabuki syndrome patients reported in the literature is approximately 70%, with left-sided obstructive lesions and septal defects being the most commonly reported (PMID: 28884922). Functional differences can include increased susceptibility to infections and autoimmune disorders, seizures, endocrinologic abnormalities (including isolated premature thelarche in females), feeding problems, and hearing loss (PMID: 21882399). Patients with pathogenic variants have been reported globally with a combined predominantly humoral immune deficiency but variable B and T cell lymphocytopenia. Newborn screening has flagged Kabuki patients for low TRECS, and so this is evidence of impaired thymopoesis in some patients before birth (PMID: 31304419). Over 540 variants (insertions, duplications, and missense variations) have been reported in numerous publications. This curation reports seven variants to achieve the minimum required genetic evidence score of 12 points (PMIDs: 24460868, 24739679, 25142838, 26411453, 26194542, 31363182, 31949313). Age of onset in probands ranged between 3 months to 32 years. Patients with Kabuki syndrome have been reported to have some or all of the following features: splenomegaly, impaired B cell maturation, decreased IgM levels, IgA deficiency, and/or impaired vaccine response. The clinical manifestation of immunodeficiency is due to the role of *KMT2D* in B cell terminal differentiation. *KMT2D* has been shown to have incomplete penetrance (PMID: 31949313) and variable expressivity. Immunophenotypes observed in patients (IgA deficiency, impaired response to vaccination, impaired B cell maturation, and splenomegaly) are recapitulated in mouse models (PMID: 3186409) and in vitro with primary human cells (impaired B cell maturation) (PMID: 26194542). Cardiac defects observed in patients are also recapitulated in mouse models (PMID: 26932671). *KMT2D* associated Kabuki syndrome can present prenatally with variable ultrasound findings including cardiac anomalies, polyhydramnios, genitourinary anomalies, single umbilical artery, IUGR, hydrops/pleural effusion/ascites, CNS anomalies, facial anomalies, skeletal findings, increased NT, cystic hygroma, oligohydramnios and gastrointestinal anomalies (PMIDs: 34185329, 33898534, 36436503, 38821912, 33686258, 37594370, 33686258, 32627857, 36658419, 34185329, 38708840). In almost half the cases, multiple prenatal USG findings are noted (PMID: 34185329). In a meta-analysis, *KMT2D* pathogenic variants were noted as the most common molecular findings for fetuses affected with isolated cardiac defect or cardiac defect with extra-cardiac malformations (PMID: 38708840). Prenatal cardiac findings included a myriad of defects. Among extra-cardiac malformations, renal anomalies were commonly seen (PMID: 34185329). In summary, *KMT2D* is definitively associated with autosomal dominant Kabuki syndrome 1 with a Predominantly humoral immunodeficiency phenotype. This has been repeatedly demonstrated in both research and clinical diagnostic settings, and has been upheld over time. This gene-disease pair was originally evaluated by the SCID-CID GCEP on October 21, 2021. It was reevaluated on April 8, 2025 (SOP v11) by the Intellectual Disability and Autism GCEP and August 14, 2025 (SOP v11) by the ClinGen Congenital Heart Disease GCEP. Although a new mention of intellectual disability as a phenotype was published (PMID: 21882399) and mouse models recapitulating CHD were added (PMID: 26932671), the classification did not change.

Clinical Genomic Database (CGD)

Branchial arch abnormalities, choanal atresia, athelia, hearing loss, and hypothyroidism syndrome; Kabuki syndrome 1AD

Manifestation: Allergy/Immunology/Infectious; Audiologic/Otolaryngologic; Cardiovascular; Craniofacial; Dental; Endocrine; Gastrointestinal; Genitourinary; Musculoskeletal; Neurologic; Ophthalmologic; Renal

Intervention: Audiologic/Otolaryngologic; Cardiovascular; Endocrine; Renal

Rationale: Branchial arch abnormalities, choanal atresia, athelia, hearing loss, and hypothyroidism syndrome can include hearing loss, and early recognition and treatment of hearing impairment may improve outcomes, including speech and language development; Individuals have been described with endocrine anomalies including hypothyroidism and growth hormone deficiency, and awareness may allow medical management; In Kabuki syndrome, congenital heart defects, as well as arrhythmias, are frequent in affected individuals, and surveillance may allow early diagnosis and treatment; Individuals may have renal anomalies and/or vesicoureteral reflux, and screening for renal anomalies (eg, with ultrasound and functional testing) may allow measures to help monitor and preserve renal function

Refs: 3067577; 8048822; 10190924; 11343317; 11665999; 12002156; 15108197; 15887282; 20711175; 21671394; 21607748; 21882399; 22126750; 23535010; 23913813; 29321794; 31949313; 32083401Source: CGD (NHGRI)

ClinVar Associated Diseases & Phenotypes

Reported disease conditions connected to KMT2D variants in ClinVar

47 Conditions Cataloged
Kabuki syndromeTotal: 5340
not providedTotal: 1644
Kabuki syndrome 1Total: 1498
KMT2D-related disorderTotal: 819
Choanal atresia-athelia-hypothyroidism-delayed puberty-short stature syndromeTotal: 594
Inborn genetic diseasesTotal: 536
not specifiedTotal: 434
Intellectual disabilityTotal: 24

ClinVar Variants & Pathogenicity by Type

Statistics based on transcript NM_003482.4. Only rare variants are included.

We include only reliable ClinVar variants with their consequences to MANE Select, MANE Plus Clinical transcripts, or transcripts with TSL equal to 1. Click a count to filter the variants table below.

Slight differences between displayed counts and ClinVar may occur due to a different transcript/consequence chosen by our variant effect predictor, or because we classify Benign/Likely benign as Likely benign and Pathogenic/Likely pathogenic as Likely pathogenic.

EffectPLPVUSLBBSum
synonymous
7
clinvar
3
clinvar
52
clinvar
1336
clinvar
260
clinvar
1658
missense
45
clinvar
98
clinvar
2145
clinvar
1111
clinvar
518
clinvar
3917
nonsense
225
clinvar
63
clinvar
27
clinvar
1
clinvar
316
start loss
1
clinvar
1
frameshift
401
clinvar
134
clinvar
11
clinvar
546
splice donor/acceptor (+/-2bp)
51
clinvar
47
clinvar
19
clinvar
1
clinvar
118
Total729346225424497786556

Highest pathogenic variant AF is 0.000021027565

Loading ClinVar variants...

Transcript Catalog

Annotated transcript isoforms across RefSeq and Ensembl databases

Showing 4 of 27 transcripts
Transcript IDSourceProtein IDCoding ExonsMANE Status
NM_003482.4RefSeqNP_003473.354MANE Select
ENST00000301067.12EnsemblENSP00000301067.754MANE Select
ENST00000650290.2EnsemblENSP00000497218.29Standard
ENST00000683543.2EnsemblENSP00000506726.155Standard

Model Organisms & Knockout Phenotypes

Observed phenotypic effects in mouse and zebrafish models

Gene / ModelOrganismObserved Phenotype
kmt2dDanio rerio

Structure: chondrocyte

Quality: position

abnormal

Gene Ontology (GO) Annotations & Pathways

Biological processes, molecular functions, cellular components and pathways

Pathways ConsensusPathDB

  • Cushing,s syndrome - Homo sapiens (human)
  • Lysine degradation - Homo sapiens (human)
  • Histone Modifications
  • Signaling by WNT
  • Signal Transduction

Biological Process

  • oocyte growth
  • chromatin silencing
  • regulation of transcription, DNA-templated
  • positive regulation of cell population proliferation
  • positive regulation of intracellular estrogen receptor signaling pathway

Molecular Function

  • DNA-binding transcription factor activity, RNA polymerase II-specific
  • DNA binding
  • transcription coactivator activity
  • protein binding
  • histone-lysine N-methyltransferase activity

Cellular Component

  • nucleus
  • nucleoplasm
  • histone methyltransferase complex
  • MLL3/4 complex

gnomAD Constraint

Source: gnomAD

Gene type
protein_coding
Transcript type
protein_coding
Transcript
ENST00000301067
Coding exons
54
Length
40800
Individuals with no LoFs
124655
Homozygous LoFs
0
Heterozygous LoFs
21
Defined
124676
p
0.0000842
Z-ScoreObservedExpectedObserved/ExpectedMutation RateTotal Possible
Missense3.7325413.13e+30.8120.00018835136
Missense (PolyPhen)553854.320.64739611
Synonymous-1.4313651.30e+31.050.000077612026
Loss of Function13.0152240.06690.00001222432

Population LoF Frequency

PopulationCAFp-valueStatus
African0.000270.00019rare
Latino/Admixed American0.000290.00029rare
Ashkenazi Jewish0.000200.00020rare
East Asian00.0absent
Finnish00.0absent
European (Non-Finnish)0.0000450.000044rare
South Asian0.0000660.000033rare
Other00.0absent

dbNSFP Gene Annotations

Source: dbNSFP

Function
FUNCTION: Histone methyltransferase. Methylates 'Lys-4' of histone H3 (H3K4me). H3K4me represents a specific tag for epigenetic transcriptional activation. Acts as a coactivator for estrogen receptor by being recruited by ESR1, thereby activating transcription. {ECO:0000269|PubMed:16603732, ECO:0000269|PubMed:17500065, ECO:0000269|PubMed:17851529}.;
Disease
DISEASE: Kabuki syndrome 1 (KABUK1) [MIM:147920]: A congenital mental retardation syndrome with additional features, including postnatal dwarfism, a peculiar facies characterized by long palpebral fissures with eversion of the lateral third of the lower eyelids, a broad and depressed nasal tip, large prominent earlobes, a cleft or high-arched palate, scoliosis, short fifth finger, persistence of fingerpads, radiographic abnormalities of the vertebrae, hands, and hip joints, and recurrent otitis media in infancy. {ECO:0000269|PubMed:20711175, ECO:0000269|PubMed:21280141, ECO:0000269|PubMed:21607748, ECO:0000269|PubMed:21658225, ECO:0000269|PubMed:21671394, ECO:0000269|PubMed:22126750, ECO:0000269|PubMed:23320472, ECO:0000269|PubMed:23913813, ECO:0000269|PubMed:24739679}. Note=The disease is caused by mutations affecting the gene represented in this entry.;

Recessive Scores

pRec
0.105

Intolerance Scores

RVIS EVS
-5.29
RVIS percentile EVS
0.06

Essentials

Essential (CRISPR)
E
Essential (gene trap)
N

Gene Damage Prediction

AllRecessiveDominant
MendelianMediumMediumMedium
Primary ImmunodeficiencyMediumMediumMedium
CancerMediumMediumMedium
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