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Primary topic: MAT1A methyl donor gene

MAT1A Gene and Metabolism: What It Means for Your Body

MAT1A matters when methyl-donor supply itself looks like a bottleneck rather than only folate or B12 handling.

What is the MAT1A gene?

MAT1A helps generate S-adenosylmethionine, one of the main methyl donors used throughout the body. That makes it a supply-side gene inside methylation rather than only a downstream modifier.

How MAT1A affects metabolism

If MAT1A-related throughput is lower, the whole methylation network can feel less resilient under demand. That can overlap with homocysteine handling, liver function, and nutrient response.

What happens when MAT1A is altered

Altered MAT1A function does not prove a methyl-donor shortage, but it does make marker-based validation more useful than generic methylation assumptions.

Curated SNP evidence for MAT1A

These SNPs come from the approved study-level evidence model. Each claim is scored from curated study rows, then gated before it can influence pathway scoring.

Methylation

Evidence-backed report connection

MAT1A currently has 2 curated SNPs, 6 claim-level scores, and 0 claims eligible for pathway scoring.

Open the sample report
rs1985908MAT1A supporting signal3 claims · 9 study rows

unknown · AA

MAT1A unscored target

Not used for pathway scoring

rs1985908 AA has no scored directional claim for MAT1A unscored target.

MAT1A rs1985908 is currently not scored for a clear metabolic effect.

Likely effectNo clear DNA signal
Signal sizeMinimal signal
Evidence supportVery limited support
Report useEvidence only, not scored
Show study evidence
NCBI RefSNP recordidentity only · unknownNCBI RefSNP data place rs1985908 in MAT1A, methionine adenosyltransferase 1A, and annotate it as a 3-prime UTR variant. The common genotype letters represented here are A and G.ClinVar recordclinical curation · close proxyClinVar Variation ID 301155 includes rs1985908 and lists a benign germline classification for hepatic methionine adenosyltransferase deficiency from a clinical-testing submission. This supports avoiding a disease or enzyme-deficiency claim from this common variant.PubMed 22792358biomarker association · loose proxyKim et al. evaluated one-carbon and histone-methylation pathway variants for association with relative telomere length. In the accessible study table, MAT1A rs1985908 did not show a statistically significant additive, recessive, or dominant association. This does not support assigning a biomarker or activity direction.

unknown · AG

MAT1A unscored target

Not used for pathway scoring

rs1985908 AG has no scored directional claim for MAT1A unscored target.

MAT1A rs1985908 is currently not scored for a clear metabolic effect.

Likely effectNo clear DNA signal
Signal sizeMinimal signal
Evidence supportVery limited support
Report useEvidence only, not scored
Show study evidence
NCBI RefSNP recordidentity only · unknownNCBI RefSNP data place rs1985908 in MAT1A, methionine adenosyltransferase 1A, and annotate it as a 3-prime UTR variant. The common genotype letters represented here are A and G.ClinVar recordclinical curation · close proxyClinVar Variation ID 301155 includes rs1985908 and lists a benign germline classification for hepatic methionine adenosyltransferase deficiency from a clinical-testing submission. This supports avoiding a disease or enzyme-deficiency claim from this common variant.PubMed 22792358biomarker association · loose proxyKim et al. evaluated one-carbon and histone-methylation pathway variants for association with relative telomere length. In the accessible study table, MAT1A rs1985908 did not show a statistically significant additive, recessive, or dominant association. This does not support assigning a biomarker or activity direction.

unknown · GG

MAT1A unscored target

Not used for pathway scoring

rs1985908 GG has no scored directional claim for MAT1A unscored target.

MAT1A rs1985908 is currently not scored for a clear metabolic effect.

Likely effectNo clear DNA signal
Signal sizeMinimal signal
Evidence supportVery limited support
Report useEvidence only, not scored
Show study evidence
NCBI RefSNP recordidentity only · unknownNCBI RefSNP data place rs1985908 in MAT1A, methionine adenosyltransferase 1A, and annotate it as a 3-prime UTR variant. The common genotype letters represented here are A and G.ClinVar recordclinical curation · close proxyClinVar Variation ID 301155 includes rs1985908 and lists a benign germline classification for hepatic methionine adenosyltransferase deficiency from a clinical-testing submission. This supports avoiding a disease or enzyme-deficiency claim from this common variant.PubMed 22792358biomarker association · loose proxyKim et al. evaluated one-carbon and histone-methylation pathway variants for association with relative telomere length. In the accessible study table, MAT1A rs1985908 did not show a statistically significant additive, recessive, or dominant association. This does not support assigning a biomarker or activity direction.
rs7087728MAT1A supporting signal3 claims · 9 study rows

biomarker tendency · AA

MAT1A biomarker tendency

Not used for pathway scoring

rs7087728 AA is associated with reduced MAT1A biomarker tendency.

MAT1A rs7087728 is scored as a modest tendency toward lower oxidative DNA-damage biomarker levels for A-containing genotypes in the studied nutrition context.

Likely effectLower biomarker tendency
Signal sizeSmall signal
Evidence supportLimited support
Report useEvidence only, not scored
Show study evidence
NCBI RefSNP recordidentity only · unknownNCBI RefSNP data place rs7087728 in MAT1A, methionine adenosyltransferase 1A, and annotate it as a 3-prime UTR variant. The common genotype letters represented here are A and G.ClinVar recordclinical curation · close proxyClinVar Variation ID 301184 includes rs7087728 and lists benign germline classifications in submitted clinical contexts. This supports limiting the record to a low-certainty biomarker tendency rather than a disease or enzyme-deficiency claim.PubMed 20335551biomarker association · close proxyLai et al. studied MAT1A variants in the Boston Puerto Rican Health Study and a replication cohort. Their abstract reports that rs7087728 A homozygotes had lower odds of hypertension and stroke, and that carriers of the A allele had lower 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine, an oxidative DNA-damage biomarker, when plasma vitamin B6 was high. This supports a modest lower biomarker-tendency score for A-containing genotypes.

biomarker tendency · AG

MAT1A biomarker tendency

Not used for pathway scoring

rs7087728 AG is associated with reduced MAT1A biomarker tendency.

MAT1A rs7087728 is scored as a modest tendency toward lower oxidative DNA-damage biomarker levels for A-containing genotypes in the studied nutrition context.

Likely effectLower biomarker tendency
Signal sizeSmall signal
Evidence supportLimited support
Report useEvidence only, not scored
Show study evidence
NCBI RefSNP recordidentity only · unknownNCBI RefSNP data place rs7087728 in MAT1A, methionine adenosyltransferase 1A, and annotate it as a 3-prime UTR variant. The common genotype letters represented here are A and G.ClinVar recordclinical curation · close proxyClinVar Variation ID 301184 includes rs7087728 and lists benign germline classifications in submitted clinical contexts. This supports limiting the record to a low-certainty biomarker tendency rather than a disease or enzyme-deficiency claim.PubMed 20335551biomarker association · close proxyLai et al. studied MAT1A variants in the Boston Puerto Rican Health Study and a replication cohort. Their abstract reports that rs7087728 A homozygotes had lower odds of hypertension and stroke, and that carriers of the A allele had lower 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine, an oxidative DNA-damage biomarker, when plasma vitamin B6 was high. This supports a modest lower biomarker-tendency score for A-containing genotypes.

biomarker tendency · GG

MAT1A biomarker tendency

Not used for pathway scoring

rs7087728 GG has no scored directional claim for MAT1A biomarker tendency.

MAT1A rs7087728 is scored as a modest tendency toward lower oxidative DNA-damage biomarker levels for A-containing genotypes in the studied nutrition context.

Likely effectNo clear biomarker tendency
Signal sizeMinimal signal
Evidence supportVery limited support
Report useEvidence only, not scored
Show study evidence
NCBI RefSNP recordidentity only · unknownNCBI RefSNP data place rs7087728 in MAT1A, methionine adenosyltransferase 1A, and annotate it as a 3-prime UTR variant. The common genotype letters represented here are A and G.ClinVar recordclinical curation · close proxyClinVar Variation ID 301184 includes rs7087728 and lists benign germline classifications in submitted clinical contexts. This supports limiting the record to a low-certainty biomarker tendency rather than a disease or enzyme-deficiency claim.PubMed 20335551biomarker association · close proxyLai et al. studied MAT1A variants in the Boston Puerto Rican Health Study and a replication cohort. Their abstract reports that rs7087728 A homozygotes had lower odds of hypertension and stroke, and that carriers of the A allele had lower 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine, an oxidative DNA-damage biomarker, when plasma vitamin B6 was high. This supports a modest lower biomarker-tendency score for A-containing genotypes.

Common symptoms people report

  • fatigue that feels worse under high demand
  • poor resilience when recovery and nutrient support are inconsistent
  • unclear methylation-related supplement response

Biomarkers to validate

Homocysteine

Useful first-pass marker for methylation pressure.

Liver enzymes

Adds context because methionine and SAMe handling overlap with liver support.

Vitamin B12 and folate context

Helps separate donor-supply issues from upstream nutrient handling.

Where DNA analysis helps

DNA can show whether methyl-donor generation deserves a place in the broader methylation review.

Example Insight

Your methyl-donor supply step may deserve attention when methylation support feels strained from more than one angle.

Suggested validation: homocysteine with liver-context markers.

What to do next

  • Review MAT1A together with MTHFR and BHMT when methylation support looks uneven.
  • Use marker context before treating methyl-donor support as the default answer.
  • Check liver-related context if symptoms and pathways overlap.

Upload your DNA file and receive a structured metabolic pathway analysis with prioritized insights and suggested validation markers.

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Related pages

MTHFR

MTHFR gene metabolism

BHMT

BHMT gene function

Choline status

choline status and methyl donor support

Holotranscobalamin

holotranscobalamin and B12 transport

B12 transport and recycling pathway

B12 transport and recycling pathway

Choline and phosphatidylcholine pathway

choline and phosphatidylcholine pathway

Is DNA metabolism analysis worth it?

is DNA metabolism analysis worth it

DNA nutrition analysis report

DNA nutrition analysis report

Related symptom angle

Low energy metabolism causes

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