Markers / Gene
near HLA-DRB1
One position in this gene is readable from a home DNA test.
The strongest genetic risk factor for multiple sclerosis
rs9271366 · chr6:32,586,854 · A/G · evidence: strong
This tags an immune tissue type that is the largest single genetic contributor to multiple sclerosis risk. MS also has one of the sharpest latitude gradients of any disease, rising with distance from the equator, which is one of the reasons vitamin D keeps coming up in the research.
| If you carry | What it means |
|---|---|
| No copies | You do not carry the risk type |
| One copy | You carry one copy |
| Two copies | You carry two copies |
| Ancestry group | G (the effect version) | |
|---|---|---|
| African | 12.6% | |
| American | 6.6% | |
| East Asian | 16.2% | |
| European | 12.2% | |
| South Asian | 25.7% |
1000 Genomes Project phase 3, via Ensembl, retrieved 2026-09-23. These groupings are coarse and flatten a great deal of internal diversity, particularly within Africa. A variant being common somewhere tells you where a piece of your ancestry probably comes from, and nothing else.
Where this gene fits
If you have taken a home DNA test, these positions are already in your file.
Read my file