RAD51B, variants, traits, and what the research shows

RAD51B - what this gene does

RAD51B (also known as RAD51L1 or REC2) is represented in the research literature primarily through variant associations with cancer risk, with secondary signals linked to neurological, mental health, respiratory, and coagulation traits.

Key takeaways

• Thirteen variants in this gene are linked to cancer associations, including all eight of the highest-magnitude entries on file.
• Eight cancer-linked variants sit at the highest magnitude tier (5.50) in this gene's profile.
• Additional variants connect the gene to neurological, mental health, respiratory, pharmacogenomics, and coagulation traits.
• 213 total variants are on file; detailed editorial curation is still in progress for most of them.
• All signals are population-level statistical associations, not individual risk predictions.

Notable variants

The eight highest-magnitude variants on file - rs148518198, rs190059291, rs28908168, rs34583846, rs371376587, rs61758785, rs753393344, and rs764896402 - all carry cancer associations at magnitude 5.50. Among the next tier (magnitude 4.50), five more variants share cancer associations: rs1314913, rs140589476, rs150207374, rs72727489, and rs78926716. Outside cancer, rs10483813 is linked to neurological traits, rs184644645 to mental health, rs2025009 to pharmacogenomics - the study of how genetic variation affects drug response - rs2767368 to respiratory conditions, and rs8022206 to coagulation.

Trait associations

Cancer is the dominant theme, with thirteen variants carrying cancer associations across both magnitude tiers: rs148518198, rs190059291, rs28908168, rs34583846, rs371376587, rs61758785, rs753393344, rs764896402, rs1314913, rs140589476, rs150207374, rs72727489, and rs78926716. The concentration of cancer signals - spanning both the highest- and second-highest magnitude tiers - is notable for a single gene locus. Neurological associations appear via rs10483813. Single-variant signals extend to mental health (rs184644645), pharmacogenomics (rs2025009), respiratory (rs2767368), and coagulation (rs8022206). Two variants - rs1274653 and rs4899244 - are catalogued without an assigned trait label.

Evidence quality

The eight magnitude-5.50 cancer variants (rs148518198, rs190059291, rs28908168, rs34583846, rs371376587, rs61758785, rs753393344, rs764896402) represent the strongest signals in this gene's profile, but study-level details - including sample sizes, odds ratios, and replication cohort status - are not yet fully available in the current data. A dedicated editorial summary exists for rs10483813 and is pending publication. The wide spread of trait signals across cancer, neurological, respiratory, and coagulation domains warrants caution: co-occurrence within a single gene region can reflect genuine biological breadth or linkage disequilibrium (the tendency of nearby genetic variants to be inherited together), and distinguishing between the two requires full study-level data not yet curated here.

What this is NOT

These variants are population-level statistical signals from large genomic studies (GWAS - studies that scan many people's genomes for variants statistically associated with a trait) and are not deterministic predictors of any health outcome for any individual. Nothing on this page constitutes medical advice, a diagnosis, or a recommendation to take any action.