title: Colorful DNA polymorphisms in humans.
abstract: In this review article we summarize current knowledge on how variation on the DNA level influences human pigmentation including color variation of iris, hair, and skin. We review recent progress in the field of human pigmentation genetics by focusing on the genes and DNA polymorphisms discovered to be involved in determining human pigmentation traits, their association with diseases particularly skin cancers, and their power to predict human eye, hair, and skin colors with potential utilization in forensic investigations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Forensic Molecular Biology, Erasmus MC University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. f.liu@erasmusmc.nl
authors.forename: Fan
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Bei
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wen
authors.forename: Manfred
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kayser
mesh_terms: D003116:Color; D004247:DNA / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D010858:Pigmentation / Q000235:genetics*; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D004247:DNA
keywords: Association; DNA polymorphisms; Forensic DNA phenotyping; Human; Pigmentation; Prediction