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IL6

Interleukin 6

Gene Number: 3569

Location: 7p15.3

Key Functions: Inflammatory response mediation, immune system regulation, acute phase reaction induction, metabolic homeostasis


IL6 encodes interleukin 6, a multifunctional cytokine that coordinates immune and inflammatory responses. It is produced in response to infections, injuries, and stress, and plays a critical role in activating immune cells, initiating fever, and stimulating the liver's acute phase protein production.


Chronic overproduction of IL6 contributes to the development of autoimmune diseases, chronic inflammatory conditions, and metabolic disturbances such as insulin resistance and obesity-linked inflammation.

SNP ID
Your Genotype
Alternative Alleles
Interpretation
rs1800795
No matching variant or no valid DNA data
G
No interpretation available
rs1800796
No matching variant or no valid DNA data
C
No interpretation available
rs1800795 (–174 G>C)
  • CC – Lower IL-6 production; protective in some conditions (e.g., juvenile rheumatoid arthritis) but linked to higher risk of obesity-related metabolic disorders, aggressive prostate cancer, worse graft survival, and periodontitis in certain contexts (R).

  • CG – Intermediate/complex effect; IL-6 output and risk associations vary by ancestry, disease, and environment (R).

  • GG Higher IL-6 production; associated with type-2 diabetes (OR ~1.5), new-onset diabetes after transplant, Kaposi’s sarcoma, Hodgkin’s lymphoma progression, higher mortality after ACS, worse stroke outcomes, gastric cancer, and growth retardation in Crohn’s disease children (R).

Functional effect: The G allele upregulates IL-6 promoter activity, elevating pro-inflammatory signaling and increasing risk for multiple inflammatory and metabolic disorders, while the C allele reduces IL-6 expression but also shows disease-specific risks (e.g., metabolic syndrome, graft survival, Alzheimer’s).


rs1800796 (–572 G>C)
  • GG – Common baseline; typically associated with lower IL-6 production, but when present across promoter haplotypes, G alleles may increase osteoarthritis risk (R).

  • CG – Intermediate effect; IL-6 levels and disease risk vary by ancestry and clinical context (R).

  • CC – Slightly increased risk for abdominal aortic aneurysm; reported links to cardiovascular disease, breast cancer prognosis, and adverse transplant outcomes (R).

Functional effect: The C allele is a risk factor in some diseases (e.g., AAA, coronary artery disease, osteoporosis), whereas the G allele is protective in tuberculosis and may reduce AD risk in certain populations—making effects highly context- and ethnicity-dependent.


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