Melanoma patients with genetic variants in the «
red hair gene», MC1R, have more mutations in their cancers compared to patients without such variants, found a study published in Nature Communications last week.
Not exact matches
Scientists have figured out the specific
gene mutation responsible for
red hair — and why it's more common in beards than on heads.
New genome - sequencing research suggests white European people with two copies of variant forms of MC1R, a
gene linked to pale skin and
red hair, have faces that appear up to two years older than those who are the same age but don't have both copies.
One, a
gene mutation that is also associated with
red hair, causes severe obesity.
Our ancestors may have gotten up to 25 percent of their DNA from Neanderthals — including
genes for
red hair and pale skin and possibly a
gene linked to brain size.
A 2007 study at Harvard University and Germany's Max Planck Society found a
red -
hair - coding variant of
hair - color
genes in 43,000 - and 50,000 - year - old Neanderthal remains.
Mogil and his team found that the mutant
gene that causes
red hair, melanocortin - 1 (MC1R), also affects how redheads (including mice) react to pain.
The genetics of
red hair seems to be linked to melanocortin - 1 receptor (MC1R), as 80 percent of redheads have some form of the MC1R
gene.
The most common low risk melanoma
gene is MC1R, the
red hair and freckle
gene.
Not surprisingly, the cases were found to be much more likely to be carrying the
genes associated with
red hair and freckles.
Variation in this
gene has been shown to be associated with melanoma risk even in patients without
red hair [22], [23].
We have speculated that these differences my have occurred because in very hot countries such as Australia, 3 people with melanoma might occur just because the family has
red hair and has had a lot of sunshine rather than inheriting a rare higher risk
gene.