A golden clue to human skin colour variation.
Variations in human skin pigmentation are obvious, but how have skin colour differences evolved? Although clearly a polymorphic trait, the number and identity of key variants has remained unclear. Investigation of pigmentation phenotypes in model organisms provides a route to identify these genes and showed MC1R to be one key locus. Now, cloning of a classic zebrafish mutant, golden, identifies slc24a5 as a gene involved in fish skin pigmentation.1 Strikingly this study identifies the human orthologue, SLC24A5, as likely to make a major contribution to the pale skin colouration of Western Europeans.
Müller
Jeanette
J
Department of Biology and Biochemistry, Centre for Regenerative Medicine, University of Bath, Bath, UK.
Kelsh
Robert N
RN
D000818:Animals; D003116:Color; D006801:Humans; D008544:Melanocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D008957:Models, Genetic; D012867:Skin / Q000378:metabolism; D012880:Skin Pigmentation / Q000502:physiology*