HEXB
Chr 5ARhexosaminidase subunit beta
Also known as: ENC-1AS, HEL-248, HEL-S-111
Hexosaminidase B is the beta subunit of the lysosomal enzyme beta-hexosaminidase that, together with the cofactor GM2 activator protein, catalyzes the degradation of the ganglioside GM2, and other molecules containing terminal N-acetyl hexosamines. Beta-hexosaminidase is composed of two subunits, alpha and beta, which are encoded by separate genes. Both beta-hexosaminidase alpha and beta subunits are members of family 20 of glycosyl hydrolases. Mutations in the alpha or beta subunit genes lead to an accumulation of GM2 ganglioside in neurons and neurodegenerative disorders termed the GM2 gangliosidoses. Beta subunit gene mutations lead to Sandhoff disease (GM2-gangliosidosis type II). Alternatively spliced transcript variants encoding different isoforms have been found for this gene. [provided by RefSeq, May 2014]
Primary Disease Associations & Inheritance
Definitive — sufficient evidence for diagnostic panels
Population Genetics & Constraint
gnomAD v4 — loss-of-function & missense intolerance
Typical tolerance to LoF variation
Mild missense constraint
ClinVar Variant Classifications
635 submitted variants in ClinVar
Classification Summary
Curated Variants Distribution
Classified variants from ClinVar · 5 ACMG categories
| Classification | LoF | Missense + Inframe | Non-coding | Synonymous | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pathogenic | 41 | 3 | 38 | 0 | 82 |
Likely Pathogenic | 27 | 15 | 19 | 0 | 61 |
VUS | 1 | 153 | 22 | 9 | 185 |
Likely Benign | 1 | 6 | 100 | 147 | 254 |
Benign | 0 | 4 | 27 | 0 | 31 |
Conflicting | — | 22 | |||
| Total | 70 | 181 | 206 | 156 | 635 |
LoF = frameshift, stop gained/lost, canonical splice · Counts from ClinVar esearch · Updated hourly
View in ClinVar →Protein Context — Lollipop Plot
HEXB · protein map & ClinVar variants
Showing all ClinVar variants across the protein. Search a specific variant to highlight its position.
Gene2Phenotype Curations
HEXB-related GM2-gangliosidosis
definitiveGene2Phenotype curations · DECIPHER consortium patient cohort (public variants) · deciphergenomics.org
OMIM — Genotype-Phenotype Relationships
1 OMIM entry
External Resources
Links to major genomics databases and tools
Variant Interpretation
Population Databases
Gene Resources
Expert Curation
Clinical Trials
Active and recruiting trials from ClinicalTrials.gov
External Resources
Links to major genomics databases and tools