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ALKBH8 alkB homolog 8, tRNA methyltransferase [ Homo sapiens (human) ]

Gene ID: 91801, updated on 4-Feb-2026
Official Symbol
ALKBH8provided by HGNC
Official Full Name
alkB homolog 8, tRNA methyltransferaseprovided by HGNC
Primary source
HGNC:HGNC:25189
See related
Ensembl:ENSG00000137760 MIM:613306; AllianceGenome:HGNC:25189
Gene type
protein coding
RefSeq status
VALIDATED
Organism
Homo sapiens
Lineage
Eukaryota; Metazoa; Chordata; Craniata; Vertebrata; Euteleostomi; Mammalia; Eutheria; Euarchontoglires; Primates; Haplorrhini; Catarrhini; Hominidae; Homo
Also known as
ABH8; TRM9; MRT71; TRMT9; TRMT9A
Summary
Enables tRNA (uridine) methyltransferase activity; tRNA binding activity; and zinc ion binding activity. Involved in DNA damage response; tRNA methylation; and tRNA wobble uridine modification. Located in cytosol and nucleoplasm. Implicated in autosomal recessive intellectual developmental disorder 71. [provided by Alliance of Genome Resources, Jul 2025]
Expression
Ubiquitous expression in thyroid (RPKM 3.3), lymph node (RPKM 3.0) and 25 other tissues See more
Orthologs
all
Try the new Gene page
Try the new Transcripts and proteins table
See ALKBH8 in Genome Data Viewer
Location:
11q22.3
Exon count:
13
Annotation release Status Assembly Chr Location
RS_2025_08 current GRCh38.p14 (GCF_000001405.40) 11 NC_000011.10 (107502727..107565735, complement)
RS_2025_08 current T2T-CHM13v2.0 (GCF_009914755.1) 11 NC_060935.1 (107509865..107572838, complement)
RS_2024_09 previous assembly GRCh37.p13 (GCF_000001405.25) 11 NC_000011.9 (107373453..107436461, complement)

Chromosome 11 - NC_000011.10Genomic Context describing neighboring genes Neighboring gene uncharacterized LOC105369477 Neighboring gene uncharacterized LOC124902745 Neighboring gene NANOG hESC enhancer GRCh37_chr11:107143023-107143770 Neighboring gene CWF19 like cell cycle control factor 2 Neighboring gene BRD4-independent group 4 enhancer GRCh37_chr11:107232171-107233370 Neighboring gene MED14-independent group 3 enhancer GRCh37_chr11:107267561-107268760 Neighboring gene SMARCE1 pseudogene 1 Neighboring gene H3K27ac hESC enhancer GRCh37_chr11:107328330-107328835 Neighboring gene H3K27ac hESC enhancers GRCh37_chr11:107435812-107436330 and GRCh37_chr11:107436331-107436847 Neighboring gene ATAC-STARR-seq lymphoblastoid active region 5471 Neighboring gene ATAC-STARR-seq lymphoblastoid silent region 3870 Neighboring gene ATAC-STARR-seq lymphoblastoid silent region 3871 Neighboring gene ATAC-STARR-seq lymphoblastoid active region 5472 Neighboring gene SUCLG2 pseudogene 3 Neighboring gene METTL5 pseudogene 4 Neighboring gene ELMO domain containing 1

Go to nucleotide: Graphics FASTA GenBank

  • Project title: Tissue-specific circular RNA induction during human fetal development
  • Description: 35 human fetal samples from 6 tissues (3 - 7 replicates per tissue) collected between 10 and 20 weeks gestational time were sequenced using Illumina TruSeq Stranded Total RNA
  • BioProject: PRJNA270632
  • Publication: PMID 26076956
  • Analysis date: Mon Apr 2 22:54:59 2018

Related articles in PubMed

  1. The first Turkish family with a novel biallelic missense variant of the ALKBH8 gene: A study on the clinical and variant spectrum of ALKBH8-related intellectual developmental disorders. Yılmaz M, et al. Am J Med Genet A, 2024 May. PMID 38189198
  2. HITS-CLIP analysis of human ALKBH8 reveals interactions with fully processed substrate tRNAs and with specific noncoding RNAs. Cavallin I, et al. RNA, 2022 Dec. PMID 36192131, Free PMC Article
  3. A novel human AlkB homologue, ALKBH8, contributes to human bladder cancer progression. Shimada K, et al. Cancer Res, 2009 Apr 1. PMID 19293182
  4. Insight into ALKBH8-related intellectual developmental disability based on the first pathogenic missense variant. Maddirevula S, et al. Hum Genet, 2022 Feb. PMID 34757492
  5. Neurodevelopmental disorder in an Egyptian family with a biallelic ALKBH8 variant. Saad AK, et al. Am J Med Genet A, 2021 Apr. PMID 33544954, Free PMC Article

See all (29) citations in PubMed

GeneRIFs: Gene References Into Functions

What's a GeneRIF?
  1. The first Turkish family with a novel biallelic missense variant of the ALKBH8 gene: A study on the clinical and variant spectrum of ALKBH8-related intellectual developmental disorders.
    Title: The first Turkish family with a novel biallelic missense variant of the ALKBH8 gene: A study on the clinical and variant spectrum of ALKBH8-related intellectual developmental disorders.
  2. HITS-CLIP analysis of human ALKBH8 reveals interactions with fully processed substrate tRNAs and with specific noncoding RNAs.
    Title: HITS-CLIP analysis of human ALKBH8 reveals interactions with fully processed substrate tRNAs and with specific noncoding RNAs.
  3. Insight into ALKBH8-related intellectual developmental disability based on the first pathogenic missense variant.
    Title: Insight into ALKBH8-related intellectual developmental disability based on the first pathogenic missense variant.
  4. Neurodevelopmental disorder in an Egyptian family with a biallelic ALKBH8 variant.
    Title: Neurodevelopmental disorder in an Egyptian family with a biallelic ALKBH8 variant.
  5. Loss of epitranscriptomic control of selenocysteine utilization engages senescence and mitochondrial reprogramming().
    Title: Loss of epitranscriptomic control of selenocysteine utilization engages senescence and mitochondrial reprogramming(☆).
  6. Recessive Truncating Mutations in ALKBH8 Cause Intellectual Disability and Severe Impairment of Wobble Uridine Modification.
    Title: Recessive Truncating Mutations in ALKBH8 Cause Intellectual Disability and Severe Impairment of Wobble Uridine Modification.
  7. findings suggest that the high expression of ALKBH8 is critical for the growth and progression of bladder cancer
    Title: ALKBH8 promotes bladder cancer growth and progression through regulating the expression of survivin.
  8. Many eukaryotic tRNAs contain the wobble modification 5-methoxycarbonylmethyl-uridine (mcm5U). It is demonstrated that (R)- and (S)-5-methoxycarbonylhydroxymethyluridine (mchm5U), hydroxylated forms of mcm(5)U, are present in mammalian tRNA-Arg(UCG), and tRNA-Gly(UCC), respectively. It is shown that the hydroxylation reaction leading to the formation of (S)-mchm5U is catalyzed by the oxygenase (AlkB) domain of ALKBH8.
    Title: ALKBH8-mediated formation of a novel diastereomeric pair of wobble nucleosides in mammalian tRNA.
  9. The methyltransferase domain of ALKBH8 is demonstrated to be a functional homologue of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae Trm9 protein, mediating the last step in the formation of the wobble uridine modification 5-methoxycarbonylmethyl-uridine in tRNA. This modification is shown to be important for efficient selenoprotein synthesis. ALKBH8 knock-out mice are generated and described.
    Title: Mammalian ALKBH8 possesses tRNA methyltransferase activity required for the biogenesis of multiple wobble uridine modifications implicated in translational decoding.
  10. Data show that human AlkB homolog 8 (ABH8) catalyzes tRNA methylation to generate 5-methylcarboxymethyl uridine (mcm(5)U) at the wobble position of certain tRNAs, a critical anticodon loop modification linked to DNA damage survival.
    Title: Human AlkB homolog ABH8 Is a tRNA methyltransferase required for wobble uridine modification and DNA damage survival.
Submit: New GeneRIF Correction See all GeneRIFs (11)

Find tests for this gene in the NIH Genetic Testing Registry (GTR)

Review eQTL and phenotype association data in this region using PheGenI

Associated conditions

Description Tests
Intellectual developmental disorder, autosomal recessive 71
MedGen: C5193133 OMIM: 618504 GeneReviews: Not available
not available

EBI GWAS Catalog

Description
Shared genetic susceptibility to ischemic stroke and coronary artery disease: a genome-wide analysis of common variants.
EBI GWAS Catalog

See variants in ClinVar

See studies and variants in dbVar

See Variation Viewer (GRCh37.p13)

See Variation Viewer (GRCh38)

Replication interactions

Interaction Pubs
Knockdown of alkB, alkylation repair homolog 8 (ALKBH8) by siRNA inhibits HIV-1 replication in HeLa-derived TZM-bl cells PubMed

Go to the HIV-1, Human Interaction Database

Products Interactant Other Gene Complex Source Pubs Description

Markers

Homology

Clone Names

  • FLJ38204, MGC10235

Gene Ontology Provided by GOA

Function Evidence Code Pubs
enables 2-oxoglutarate-dependent dioxygenase activity IEA
Inferred from Electronic Annotation
more info
  
enables RNA binding IEA
Inferred from Electronic Annotation
more info
  
enables S-adenosylmethionine-dependent methyltransferase activity IEA
Inferred from Electronic Annotation
more info
  
enables catalytic activity IEA
Inferred from Electronic Annotation
more info
  
enables iron ion binding IEA
Inferred from Electronic Annotation
more info
  
enables iron ion binding ISS
Inferred from Sequence or Structural Similarity
more info
  
enables metal ion binding IEA
Inferred from Electronic Annotation
more info
  
enables methyltransferase activity IEA
Inferred from Electronic Annotation
more info
  
enables nucleic acid binding IEA
Inferred from Electronic Annotation
more info
  
enables protein binding IPI
Inferred from Physical Interaction
more info
 PubMed 
enables tRNA (5-carboxymethyluridine(34)-5-O)-methyltransferase activity IBA
Inferred from Biological aspect of Ancestor
more info
  
enables tRNA (5-carboxymethyluridine(34)-5-O)-methyltransferase activity IEA
Inferred from Electronic Annotation
more info
  
enables tRNA (uridine) methyltransferase activity IDA
Inferred from Direct Assay
more info
 PubMed 
enables tRNA (uridine) methyltransferase activity IEA
Inferred from Electronic Annotation
more info
  
enables tRNA binding IBA
Inferred from Biological aspect of Ancestor
more info
  
enables tRNA binding IDA
Inferred from Direct Assay
more info
 PubMed 
enables transferase activity IEA
Inferred from Electronic Annotation
more info
  
enables transition metal ion binding IEA
Inferred from Electronic Annotation
more info
  
enables zinc ion binding IDA
Inferred from Direct Assay
more info
 PubMed 
Process Evidence Code Pubs
involved_in DNA damage response IDA
Inferred from Direct Assay
more info
 PubMed 
involved_in methylation IEA
Inferred from Electronic Annotation
more info
  
involved_in tRNA methylation IBA
Inferred from Biological aspect of Ancestor
more info
  
involved_in tRNA methylation IDA
Inferred from Direct Assay
more info
 PubMed 
involved_in tRNA methylation IEA
Inferred from Electronic Annotation
more info
  
involved_in tRNA methylation IMP
Inferred from Mutant Phenotype
more info
 PubMed 
involved_in tRNA wobble uridine modification IBA
Inferred from Biological aspect of Ancestor
more info
  
involved_in tRNA wobble uridine modification IDA
Inferred from Direct Assay
more info
 PubMed 
involved_in tRNA wobble uridine modification IEA
Inferred from Electronic Annotation
more info
  
involved_in tRNA wobble uridine modification IMP
Inferred from Mutant Phenotype
more info
 PubMed 
Component Evidence Code Pubs
is_active_in cytoplasm IBA
Inferred from Biological aspect of Ancestor
more info
  
located_in cytoplasm IDA
Inferred from Direct Assay
more info
 PubMed 
located_in cytoplasm IEA
Inferred from Electronic Annotation
more info
  
located_in cytosol IDA
Inferred from Direct Assay
more info
 PubMed 
located_in nucleoplasm IDA
Inferred from Direct Assay
more info
  
is_active_in nucleus IBA
Inferred from Biological aspect of Ancestor
more info
  
located_in nucleus IDA
Inferred from Direct Assay
more info
 PubMed 
located_in nucleus IEA
Inferred from Electronic Annotation
more info
  
Preferred Names
tRNA (carboxymethyluridine(34)-5-O)-methyltransferase ALKBH8
Names
AlkB homologue 8
S-adenosyl-L-methionine-dependent tRNA methyltransferase ABH8
S-adenosyl-L-methionine-dependent tRNA methyltransferase ALKBH8
alkB, alkylation repair homolog 8
alkylated DNA repair protein alkB homolog 8
alpha-ketoglutarate-dependent dioxygenase ALKBH8
probable alpha-ketoglutarate-dependent dioxygenase ABH8
tRNA (carboxymethyluridine(34)-5-O)-methyltransferase ABH8
tRNA methyltransferase 9 homolog
tRNA methyltransferase 9 related
NP_001287939.2
NP_001365062.1
NP_620130.2
XP_016874046.1
XP_047283826.1
XP_047283827.1
XP_054226479.1
XP_054226480.1
XP_054226481.1

NEW Try the new Transcript table

RefSeqs maintained independently of Annotated Genomes

These reference sequences exist independently of genome builds. Explain

These reference sequences are curated independently of the genome annotation cycle, so their versions may not match the RefSeq versions in the current genome build. Identify version mismatches by comparing the version of the RefSeq in this section to the one reported in Genomic regions, transcripts, and products above.

mRNA and Protein(s)

  1. NM_001301010.3 → NP_001287939.2  tRNA (carboxymethyluridine(34)-5-O)-methyltransferase ALKBH8 isoform 1

    Status: VALIDATED

    Description
    Transcript Variant: This variant (1) differs in the 5' UTR compared to variant 2. Variants 1 and 2 both encode the same isoform (1).
    Source sequence(s)
    AP001823
    Consensus CDS
    CCDS8337.2
    UniProtKB/Swiss-Prot
    B1Q2M0, B4DEF6, Q8N989, Q96BT7
    Related
    ENSP00000397673.3, ENST00000417449.6
    Conserved Domains (4) summary
    pfam09004
    Location:1 → 37
    DUF1891; Domain of unknown function (DUF1891)
    pfam13649
    Location:410 → 497
    Methyltransf_25; Methyltransferase domain
    cd12431
    Location:42 → 122
    RRM_ALKBH8; RNA recognition motif (RRM) found in alkylated DNA repair protein alkB homolog 8 (ALKBH8) and similar proteins
    cl21496
    Location:152 → 334
    2OG-FeII_Oxy; 2OG-Fe(II) oxygenase superfamily

  2. NM_001378133.1 → NP_001365062.1  tRNA (carboxymethyluridine(34)-5-O)-methyltransferase ALKBH8 isoform 3

    Status: VALIDATED

    Source sequence(s)
    AP001823
    Related
    ENSP00000568366.1, ENST00000898307.1
    Conserved Domains (3) summary
    pfam09004
    Location:1 → 37
    DUF1891; Domain of unknown function (DUF1891)
    cd12431
    Location:42 → 122
    RRM_ALKBH8; RNA recognition motif (RRM) found in alkylated DNA repair protein alkB homolog 8 (ALKBH8) and similar proteins
    cl21496
    Location:152 → 334
    2OG-FeII_Oxy; 2OG-Fe(II) oxygenase superfamily

  3. NM_138775.3 → NP_620130.2  tRNA (carboxymethyluridine(34)-5-O)-methyltransferase ALKBH8 isoform 1

    See identical proteins and their annotated locations for NP_620130.2

    Status: VALIDATED

    Description
    Transcript Variant: This variant (2) represents the longest transcript and encodes the longer isoform (1). Variants 1 and 2 both encode the same isoform (1).
    Source sequence(s)
    AB218768, AP001823, BX649085
    Consensus CDS
    CCDS8337.2
    UniProtKB/Swiss-Prot
    B1Q2M0, B4DEF6, Q8N989, Q96BT7
    Related
    ENSP00000415885.2, ENST00000428149.7
    Conserved Domains (4) summary
    pfam09004
    Location:1 → 37
    DUF1891; Domain of unknown function (DUF1891)
    pfam13649
    Location:410 → 497
    Methyltransf_25; Methyltransferase domain
    cd12431
    Location:42 → 122
    RRM_ALKBH8; RNA recognition motif (RRM) found in alkylated DNA repair protein alkB homolog 8 (ALKBH8) and similar proteins
    cl21496
    Location:152 → 334
    2OG-FeII_Oxy; 2OG-Fe(II) oxygenase superfamily

RNA

  1. NR_165421.1 RNA Sequence

    Status: VALIDATED

    Source sequence(s)
    AP001823

  2. NR_165422.1 RNA Sequence

    Status: VALIDATED

    Source sequence(s)
    AP001823

  3. NR_165423.1 RNA Sequence

    Status: VALIDATED

    Source sequence(s)
    AP001823
    Related
    ENST00000943732.1

  4. NR_165424.1 RNA Sequence

    Status: VALIDATED

    Source sequence(s)
    AP001823

  5. NR_165425.1 RNA Sequence

    Status: VALIDATED

    Source sequence(s)
    AP001823

  6. NR_165426.1 RNA Sequence

    Status: VALIDATED

    Source sequence(s)
    AP001823

RefSeqs of Annotated Genomes: GCF_000001405.40-RS_2025_08

The following sections contain reference sequences that belong to a specific genome build. Explain

Reference GRCh38.p14 Primary Assembly

Genomic

  1. NC_000011.10 Reference GRCh38.p14 Primary Assembly

    Range
    107502727..107565735 complement
    Download
    GenBank, FASTA, Sequence Viewer (Graphics)

mRNA and Protein(s)

  1. XM_047427870.1 → XP_047283826.1  tRNA (carboxymethyluridine(34)-5-O)-methyltransferase ALKBH8 isoform X1

    UniProtKB/TrEMBL
    B4DQH3

  2. XM_047427871.1 → XP_047283827.1  tRNA (carboxymethyluridine(34)-5-O)-methyltransferase ALKBH8 isoform X3

  3. XM_017018557.2 → XP_016874046.1  tRNA (carboxymethyluridine(34)-5-O)-methyltransferase ALKBH8 isoform X2

    Conserved Domains (3) summary
    pfam09004
    Location:4 → 40
    DUF1891; Domain of unknown function (DUF1891)
    cd12431
    Location:45 → 125
    RRM_ALKBH8; RNA recognition motif in alkylated DNA repair protein alkB homolog 8 (ALKBH8) and similar proteins
    cl21496
    Location:155 → 337
    2OG-FeII_Oxy; 2OG-Fe(II) oxygenase superfamily

Alternate T2T-CHM13v2.0

Genomic

  1. NC_060935.1 Alternate T2T-CHM13v2.0

    Range
    107509865..107572838 complement
    Download
    GenBank, FASTA, Sequence Viewer (Graphics)

mRNA and Protein(s)

  1. XM_054370504.1 → XP_054226479.1  tRNA (carboxymethyluridine(34)-5-O)-methyltransferase ALKBH8 isoform X1

    UniProtKB/TrEMBL
    B4DQH3

  2. XM_054370506.1 → XP_054226481.1  tRNA (carboxymethyluridine(34)-5-O)-methyltransferase ALKBH8 isoform X3

  3. XM_054370505.1 → XP_054226480.1  tRNA (carboxymethyluridine(34)-5-O)-methyltransferase ALKBH8 isoform X2

Nucleotide Protein
Heading Accession and Version
Protein Accession Links
GenPept Link UniProtKB Link
Q96BT7.2 GenPept UniProtKB/Swiss-Prot:Q96BT7

Gene LinkOut

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