AtlasGene
COMT
catechol-O-methyltransferase
Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) is an essential enzyme that breaks down stress hormones and neurotransmitters like dopamine, epinephrine, and norepinephrine.
The rs4680 Met/Met genotype ('Worrier') produces 3 to 4-fold lower enzyme activity, resulting in higher dopamine levels and better cognitive performance under normal
- HGNC 2228↗(opens in a new tab)
- Ensembl gene ENSG00000093010↗(opens in a new tab)
- NCBI Gene 1312↗(opens in a new tab)
Summary
- Cytogenetic location
- 22q11.21
- Coordinates
- Chromosome 22: 19,941,772–19,969,975 (GRCh38)
- Exons
- 6 exons across 28.2 kb
- Protein
- 271 amino acids, 30 kDa
- MANE Select transcript
- ENST00000361682.11NM_000754.4
- Locus type
- Protein-coding
- Very high
- Confident
- Low
- Very low
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No Genome Test report reads COMT yet. The test sequences your whole genome, so your data includes it all the same.
How COMT is laid out
- Coding sequence
- Untranslated region
- Intron
- Direction of transcription
- Stretches short reads find hard
Exons of the gene's MANE Select transcript (release v1.5), from NCBI and EMBL-EBI, on the GRCh38 reference genome.
Chromosome bands from UCSC's GRCh38 ideogram (2022-10-29).
Nearby genes from Ensembl release 116, on GRCh38.
Exons make up 2.3 kb of the gene's 28.2 kb; 816 of those bases code for the protein.
Sequencing COMT
8Easy
How hard COMT is to sequence with short reads, out of 100
0 · Easy100 · Hard
Almost all of COMT's exons sit where short reads map cleanly.
What adds to it: the share of COMT's exons in each kind of hard region
- MappabilityStretches where 100 or 250 bp reads cannot be placed uniquely, so a call there may be missing or wrong. On its own, a gene wholly in this kind of region would score 100.0%
- HomologySegmental duplications: copies elsewhere in the genome, such as paralogues and pseudogenes, at 90% identity or more. On its own, a gene wholly in this kind of region would score 60.0%
- Shared with chrYThe pseudoautosomal regions and the X-transposed region, where chrX and chrY carry the same or nearly the same sequence, so a read from one may be placed on the other. On its own, a gene wholly in this kind of region would score 60.0%
- Reference coverageGaps in the reference assembly nearby, where there is no sequence for reads to align to. On its own, a gene wholly in this kind of region would score 50.0%
- RepeatsTandem repeats and runs of one base, which reads slip on and may not span. On its own, a gene wholly in this kind of region would score 30.6.9%
- GC contentWindows under 25% or over 65% G and C, which library preparation covers thinly. On its own, a gene wholly in this kind of region would score 20.32%
A Dante Labs score from our own research, built on NIST's Genome in a Bottle maps of hard-to-sequence regions.How it's scoredEach bar is the share of COMT's exon bases in that kind of difficult region. Any one kind can make a gene hard on its own, and each further kind adds less: 0 when no base is in any, 100 when every base is where reads cannot be placed uniquely.
Traits linked to COMT
The Human Phenotype Ontology lists these as features of the rare conditions COMT can cause. Each trait's page lists the other genes linked to it.
Abnormality of head or neck
- Abnormal facial shape
- Bulbous nose
- Cleft palate
- Corners of eye widely separated
- Eye folds
- Flattening of the skull base
- Prominent nasal bridge
- Upward slanting of the opening between the eyelids
Show 19 more traits
- Wide nasal bridge
- Abnormal dentition
- Abnormality of the eyelid
- Abnormality of the skull
- Dental cavities
- Long face
- Long philtrum
- Short neck
- Zygomatic flattening
- Abnormal tooth enamel
- Abnormally small head
- Blockage of the rear opening of the nasal cavity
- Downward slanting of the opening between the eyelids
- Little lower jaw
- Multiple suture craniosynostosis
- Narrow mouth
- Retinal arteriolar tortuosity
- Short philtrum
- Tall shaped head
Abnormality of the digestive system
- Anorectal anomaly
- Constipation
- Absent anus
- Acid reflux
- Enlarged colon lacking nerve cells
- Feeding difficulties in infancy
- Gallstones
- Inguinal hernia
Show 3 more traits
Abnormality of the eye
- Drooping upper eyelid
- New blood vessel formation in cornea
- Posterior embryotoxon
- Abnormally small eyeball
- Clouding of the lens of the eye
- Cross-eyed
- Glaucoma
- Optic atrophy
Show 1 more trait
External links
Gene records
Transcript
Protein
Where this comes from
- HGNC: the gene's symbol, name, other symbols and location.
- MANE Select v1.5, from NCBI and EMBL-EBI: the transcript, its exons and coding sequence.
- The Genome in a Bottle genome stratifications, from NIST: the sequencing difficulty score.
- The Human Phenotype Ontology, release 2026-09-01: the traits linked to the gene. Find out more at hpo.jax.org.
Cite this page
Dante Labs. (n.d.). COMT gene: catechol-O-methyltransferase. Retrieved 23 October 2026, from https://dantelabs.com/genes/comt
Dante Labs. COMT gene: catechol-O-methyltransferase [Internet]. [cited 23 October 2026]. Available from: https://dantelabs.com/genes/comt
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