http://api.biodiscover.com/storages/elppgkboppcljlpleljldkdlplgkflckbododogodofohoeoaojoopcoioaohocobojoopklakhl.png

美拉尼西亚人金发由基因突变所致

由于接受较多的紫外线辐射，一般赤道附近居民的皮肤和头发颜色都较黑。不过居住在太平洋西南部赤道附近的美拉尼西亚人是个例外，他们肤色很黑，但金发比率较高。一个美英研究小组3日报告说，其原因在于基因突变。更多资讯查看：生物探索http://www.biodiscover.com

美拉尼西亚人具有非洲黑色人种之外最黑的皮肤色素，但同时却有5%到10%的人长着金发，这一“异常”现象吸引了美国斯坦福大学和英国布里斯托大学研究人 员的关注。他们对43名金发及42名黑发美拉尼西亚人进行了全基因组分析后发现，一个名为“TYRP1”的基因发生突变，导致部分美拉尼西亚人体内的黑素 细胞异于他人，其金发也与此有关。

研究人员进一步分析世界各地另941人的TYRP1的基因后发现，使美拉尼西亚人长出金发的TYRP1基因突变在大洋洲之外并不存在。这一发现将发表在新一期《科学》杂志上。

http://api.biodiscover.com/storages/jkppplbkppcljlpleljldkdlplgkflckbododogodofohoboioeoopcofoeocogoaoboopklakhl.png

http://api.biodiscover.com/storages/ckppckfoppcljlpleljldkdlplgkflckbododogodofohoeoaojoopdoeobobobodoboophljlgl.pngMelanesian Blond Hair Is Caused by an Amino Acid Change in TYRP1

Eimear E. Kenny,Nicholas J. Timpson,Martin Sikora,Muh-Ching Yee,Andrés Moreno-Estrada,Celeste Eng,Scott Huntsman,Esteban González Burchard,Mark Stoneking,Carlos D. Bustamante,Sean Myles

Naturally blond hair is rare in humans and found almost exclusively in Europe and Oceania. Here, we identify an arginine-to-cysteine change at a highly conserved residue in tyrosinase-related protein 1 (TYRP1) as a major determinant of blond hair in Solomon Islanders. This missense mutation is predicted to affect catalytic activity of TYRP1 and causes blond hair through a recessive mode of inheritance. The mutation is at a frequency of 26% in the Solomon Islands, is absent outside of Oceania, represents a strong common genetic effect on a complex human phenotype, and highlights the importance of examining genetic associations worldwide.

文献链接：http://www.sciencemag.org/content/336/6081/554.abstract