TLDR Tandem repeats significantly influence hair color, especially darker shades, across different ancestries.
This study investigates the genetic basis of hair color by focusing on tandem repeats (TRs) rather than the more commonly studied single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Researchers identified 16 TRs that affect hair color and two TRs associated with hair color across diverse ancestry groups. These TRs can alter amino acid coding regions, potentially impacting protein structure and function. The study also shows that TRs can independently predict darker hair color through an additive polygenic score, highlighting their significant influence on human traits compared to SNPs.
94 citations,
April 2018 in “Nature Genetics” New genetic locations explain much of hair color variation in Europeans.
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6 citations,
June 2012 in “PloS one” A new mRNA variant of the SCF gene in sheep skin produces a shorter, different protein.
January 2014 in “Journal of Investigative Dermatology” Proteins like aPKC and PDGF-AA, substances like adenosine and ATP, and adipose-derived stem cells all play important roles in hair growth and health, and could potentially be used to treat hair loss and skin conditions.
7 citations,
February 2020 in “Clinical and Experimental Dermatology” Both HLA-B and MICA are independently linked to alopecia areata.
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December 2022 in “IntechOpen eBooks” Forensic DNA Phenotyping accurately predicts physical traits and is used in investigations, but needs more diverse population data for confirmation.
39 citations,
February 1990 in “The journal of cell biology/The Journal of cell biology” Trichohyalin, a hair follicle protein, has a part with repeating patterns of 23 amino acids.
