NPAS3, variants, traits, and what the research shows

NPAS3 - what this gene does

NPAS3 is a human gene associated in population-level genetic research with traits spanning immune function, cancer, kidney conditions, liver conditions, mental health, and respiratory phenotypes. The associations described here are drawn directly from the 134 variants on file for this gene.

Key takeaways

• NPAS3 has 134 variants on file, with top signals spanning at least six trait categories: immune, cancer, kidney, liver, mental health, and respiratory.
• Two independent variants are linked to cancer, which can strengthen confidence in that association compared to a single finding.
• One variant linked to immune traits has a published research page, indicating a more established evidence base for that signal.
• Most variants in the dataset lack effect size data or sample sizes, so the strength of individual associations is unclear.
• All findings are population-level statistical signals from genetic studies, not predictors of individual health outcomes.

Notable variants

rs118161330 and rs12148012 are the two highest-magnitude variants with published research pages, linked to immune and cancer traits respectively. Also at the top magnitude tier are rs7150759, a second cancer-linked variant, and rs4627235, associated with liver-related traits. rs17100890 is tied to kidney traits; rs8015959 to mental health; and rs80221072 to respiratory conditions. Additional high-magnitude variants on file without trait annotation at this time include rs3910616, rs534455944, rs538185065, rs75328285, rs75422372, rs77276680, and rs781419737.

Trait associations

Cancer-related traits appear in two separate variants, rs12148012 and rs7150759, which is notable because independent variant signals pointing to the same broad category can increase statistical confidence in an association. Immune function is represented by rs118161330. Kidney-related traits are linked to rs17100890, liver-related traits to rs4627235, mental health to rs8015959, and respiratory conditions to rs80221072. Specific sub-conditions, effect sizes (such as odds ratios, which measure how much a variant changes the statistical probability of a trait in a population), and study sample sizes are not available in the current dataset.

Evidence quality

The strongest signals on file are rs118161330 and rs12148012, both at the top magnitude tier (4.50 on a relative scale) and each with a prior published research page. A second magnitude tier (3.00) covers several additional variants. No odds ratios, beta coefficients, or study sample sizes are provided for any listed variant in this dataset, which makes it impossible to assess individual effect magnitudes. It is also not possible to confirm from the current data whether these signals come from large multi-cohort GWAS (genome-wide association studies, which scan many thousands of people's genomes to find variants statistically linked to a trait) or from smaller, single-cohort analyses; single-cohort findings carry meaningfully more uncertainty and should be treated as preliminary until replicated.

What this is NOT

These variants are population-level statistical signals derived from group-level genetic studies, not deterministic predictors of any outcome for any individual. Nothing on this page constitutes a medical diagnosis, clinical recommendation, or personal health advice.