MC1R Gene Locus and Skin Color
Skin color is a physical attribute that can’t be ignored and is at the root of many discriminatory practices. In most East Asian countries–Japan, Korea, Taiwan, China–fair skin is prized. Instead of sun tan oil and fake tanning sprays, it’s whitening lotions and other products to lighten skin that are marketed aggressively.
Since I left California in 1994 to study (too much) in Baltimore, Maryland on the U.S. East Coast, my skin has returned to its natural pale state and I have received countless compliments whenever I’m in Asia. (In contrast, family and friends in California implore me to get some sun because I look sickly.)
Genes clearly determine skin color, but it has been difficult to identify exactly how many and which ones. Earlier this week, I mentioned the melanocortin-1 receptor (MC1R) gene and its role in determining hair color and pain perception. Razib at Gene Expression has been posting about the MC1R gene as well, specifically regarding a recent review of worldwide distributions of polymorphisms in the MC1R gene.
It should come as no surprise that skin color varies according to latitude. Populations that are closer to the equator where the sun is the brightest and hottest tend to have darker skin. UV irradiation is also greater in the Southern Hemisphere which results in the darker skin observed in South Americans and Africans.
The most popular explanation for this is that lighter skin in northern latitudes makes it easier for the body to manufacture vitamin D from scarce sun exposure. And darker skin in areas of high UV irradiation helps to protect against sunburn and skin cancer.
Why bother to study the genetics of skin color? Wouldn’t the world be a better place if we were colorblind?
Gregory S. Barsh at Stanford University School of Medicine explains:
From a basic science perspective, variation in human skin color represents an unparalleled opportunity for cell biologists, geneticists, and anthropologists to learn more about the biogenesis and movement of subcellular organelles, to better characterize the relationship between genotypic and phenotypic diversity, to further investigate human origins, and to understand how recent human evolution may have been shaped by natural selection.
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…understanding more about the genetic architecture of skin color may prove helpful in designing studies to investigate other quantitative traits.
Science doesn’t avoid studying subjects like skin color just because they’re politically volatile. Vigorous analysis and debate in all arenas, including science, will hopefully lead us to a greater understanding of ourselves and the world around us.
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POSTED IN: General Genetics and Health
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