Exploring the Possibility of Predicting Human Head Hair Greying from DNA Using Whole-Exome and Targeted NGS Data

August 2020 in “ BMC Genomics ”

Ewelina Pośpiech, Magdalena Kukla‐Bartoszek, Joanna Karłowska-Pik, Piotr Zieliński, Anna Woźniak, Michał Boroń, Michał Dąbrowski, Magdalena Zubańska, Agata Jarosz, Tomasz Grzybowski, Rafał Ploski, Magdalena Spólnicka, Wojciech Branicki

hair greying DNA whole-exome sequencing targeted NGS SNPs KIF1A FGF5 IRF4 DNA methylation

TLDR Hair greying is mainly influenced by age, with genetics playing a smaller role.

The study investigated the potential of predicting human head hair greying using genetic data from nearly 1,000 Polish individuals. It developed prediction models incorporating age, sex, and 13 SNPs, with significant markers including KIF1A rs59733750 and FGF5 rs7680591. The models achieved high accuracy, with AUCs up to 0.875, but genetic variants explained less than 10% of the variation, highlighting age as the dominant factor. The research confirmed the association of the IRF4 gene with hair greying and suggested that environmental factors and DNA methylation might also play roles. The study concluded that hair greying is a complex genetic trait and recommended further research to enhance prediction models.

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