KMT2D
protein-codinglysine 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]
- TNRC21
- MLL2
MANE transcript
Inheritance
ClinVar variants
Top phenotype
gnomAD constraint
Max pathogenic AF
Genomic locus
External References & Databases
Transcript & Mutation Effects
hg38 • Region Span ~41.8 kbGenCC Phenotypes & Disease Associations
Curated gene-disease validity assertions and inheritance patterns
Inheritance Pattern: AD
Disease ID:MONDO:0007843
Submitter: Ambry Genetics
Inheritance Pattern: AD
Disease ID:MONDO:0035651
Submitter: G2P
Inheritance Pattern: AD
Disease ID:MONDO:0007843
Submitter: G2P
Inheritance Pattern: AD
Disease ID:MONDO:0035651
Submitter: Illumina
Inheritance Pattern: AD
Disease ID:MONDO:0007843
Submitter: Labcorp Genetics (formerly Invitae)
Inheritance Pattern: AD
Disease ID:MONDO:0035651
Submitter: PanelApp Australia
Inheritance Pattern: AD
Disease ID:MONDO:0859345
Submitter: Labcorp Genetics (formerly Invitae)
Inheritance Pattern: AD
Disease ID:MONDO:0007843
Submitter: PanelApp Australia
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.
Inheritance Pattern: AD
Disease ID:MONDO:0016512
Submitter: Orphanet
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)
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
ClinVar Associated Diseases & Phenotypes
Reported disease conditions connected to KMT2D variants in ClinVar
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.
| Effect | PathogenicP | Likely pathogenicLP | VUS | Likely benignLB | BenignB | Sum |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| synonymous | 7 | 3 | 52 | 1336 | 260 | 1658 |
| missense | 45 | 98 | 2145 | 1111 | 518 | 3917 |
| nonsense | 225 | 63 | 27 | 1 | 316 | |
| start loss | 1 | 1 | ||||
| frameshift | 401 | 134 | 11 | 546 | ||
| splice donor/acceptor (+/-2bp) | 51 | 47 | 19 | 1 | 118 | |
| Total | 729 | 346 | 2254 | 2449 | 778 | 6556 |
Highest pathogenic variant AF is 0.000021027565
Transcript Catalog
Annotated transcript isoforms across RefSeq and Ensembl databases
| Transcript ID | Source | Protein ID | Coding Exons | MANE Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RefSeq | NP_003473.3 | 54 | MANE Select | |
| Ensembl | ENSP00000301067.7 | 54 | MANE Select | |
| Ensembl | ENSP00000497218.2 | 9 | Standard | |
| Ensembl | ENSP00000506726.1 | 55 | Standard |
Model Organisms & Knockout Phenotypes
Observed phenotypic effects in mouse and zebrafish models
| Gene / Model | Organism | Observed Phenotype |
|---|---|---|
| kmt2d | Danio 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:
- 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-Score | Observed | Expected | Observed/Expected | Mutation Rate | Total Possible | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Missense | 3.73 | 2541 | 3.13e+3 | 0.812 | 0.000188 | 35136 |
| Missense (PolyPhen) | 553 | 854.32 | 0.6473 | 9611 | ||
| Synonymous | -1.43 | 1365 | 1.30e+3 | 1.05 | 0.0000776 | 12026 |
| Loss of Function | 13.0 | 15 | 224 | 0.0669 | 0.0000122 | 2432 |
Population LoF Frequency
| Population | CAF | p-value | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| African | 0.00027 | 0.00019 | rare |
| Latino/Admixed American | 0.00029 | 0.00029 | rare |
| Ashkenazi Jewish | 0.00020 | 0.00020 | rare |
| East Asian | 0 | 0.0 | absent |
| Finnish | 0 | 0.0 | absent |
| European (Non-Finnish) | 0.000045 | 0.000044 | rare |
| South Asian | 0.000066 | 0.000033 | rare |
| Other | 0 | 0.0 | absent |
dbNSFP Gene Annotations
Source:
- 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
| All | Recessive | Dominant | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mendelian | Medium | Medium | Medium |
| Primary Immunodeficiency | Medium | Medium | Medium |
| Cancer | Medium | Medium | Medium |