Molecular genetics of human pigmentation diversity
Richard A. SturmÃ
Melanogenix Group, Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane Qld 4072, Australia
Received December 23, 2008; Revised December 23, 2008; Accepted December 31, 2008
The genetic basis underlying normal variation in the pigmentary traits of skin, hair and eye colour has been
the subject of intense research directed at understanding the diversity seen both between and within human
populations. A combination of approaches have been used including comparative genomics of candidate
genes and the identification of regions of the human genome under positive selection, together with
genome-wide and specific allele association studies. Independent selection for different pigmentation
gene sets has been found between Asian, European and African populations. Several genome-wide association
studies for pigmentation have now been conducted and identified single nucleotide polymorphism
(SNP) markers in known, TYR, TYRP1, OCA2, SLC45A2, SLC24A5, MC1R, ASIP, KITLG and previously
unknown SLC24A4, IRF4, TPCN2, candidate genes. The contribution of SNP polymorphisms present in populations
from South Asia have been tested and alleles found at TYR, SLC45A2 and SLC24A5 can largely
account for differences between those of darkest and lightest skin reflectance using a simple additive
model. Skin and hair colour associations in Europeans are found within a range of pigmentation gene alleles,
whereas blue-brown eye colour can be explained by a single SNP proposed to regulate OCA2 expression.
Functional testing of variant alleles has begun to connect phenotype correlations with biological differences.
Variant MC1R alleles show direct correlations between the biochemical signalling properties of the encoded
receptor and the red-hair fair skin pigmentation phenotype. Direct testing of a range of clonal melanocyte cultures
derived from donor skin tissue characterized for three causal SNPs within SLC45A2, SLC24A5 and
OCA2 has assessed their impact on melanin content and tyrosinase enzyme activity. From a culmination
of genetic and functional studies, it is apparent that a number of genes impacting melanosome biogenesis
or the melanin biosynthetic pathway are candidates to explain the diversity seen in human pigmentation.
INTRODUCTION
It is astonishing that in a few short years, our understanding of
the molecular genetics of human pigmentation has progressed
from asking simple questions about what type and how many
genes underlie the diversity of skin, hair and eye colour (1) to
the identification of several of the major loci and polymorphisms
responsible. There is a high degree of variation in colour
(amount and type of melanin pigment) and skin type (responsiveness
to UV exposure) apparent between and within human
populations (Fig. 1), though only those with European ancestry
show a large range of hair (2) and eye colours (3). This
recent exponential rate of discovery of important pigmentation
determining genes has been made through a combination of
genetic, biochemical and cellular approaches, but undoubtedly
it has been the ready access to the complete human genome
sequence and documentation of a vast number of single
nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs: www.hapmap.org; genome.perlegen.com)
in several populations (4,5) that is responsible
for this expanding knowledge. The methods include
comparative genomics of candidate genes such as those
identified through studies of mouse coat colours (6) or fish
pigmentation patterns (7,8), looking for regions under positive
selection between human populations (9–12) that a priori
include loci for pigmentation traits, together with genomewide
(13) and specific allele association studies (14) in individuals
of defined phenotype. These genetic approaches and
the insight they have provided into the pigmentary process
will be the focus of this review; however, determination of
the molecular mechanism of action, gene interaction and functional
protein assays need to be considered to understand how
allelic variation in pigmentation genes results in such a diversity
of phenotypes in human populations.
The colour of human skin and hair is largely determined by
the amount and type of melanin pigment production by
cutaneous and follicular melanocytes (15–17). It is not the
Ã
To whom correspondence should be addressed. Tel: þ61 733462038; Fax: þ61 733462101; Email: r.sturm@imb.uq.edu.au
# The Author 2009. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.
For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org
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number, body site distribution or density of the melanocyte
cells themselves, but rather the regulation of the process of
melanogenesis that must be examined to understand the range
of phenotypic differences in pigmentary traits (18). Melanin
biogenesis occurs in intracellular lysosomerelated organelles
called melanosomes (Fig. 2B). These are transferred from the
melanocytes of the skin and hair to the surrounding keratinocytes.
In contrast, melanosomes are retained in the melanocytes
of the iris. Specialized melanocytic enzymes and structural
proteins are trafficked and assembled into the melanosomal
particle in a maturation process leading from an empty
vacuole to a striated melanin filled organelle, designated in
four stages I–IV. This process includes passaging of the key
tyrosinase enzyme (TYR) (19), which is dependent upon the
incorporation of copper ion for catalysing the first step of the
melanin biosynthetic pathway, which is the oxidation of its
substrate tyrosine to form the intermediate DOPAquinone.
The two major types of melanin known as eumelanin and
pheomelanin are derived from DOPAquinone with the ratio
of the mixed compounds in each melanocyte reliant upon
the constitution of other melanogenic enzymes and availability
of cysteine. An initial core of pheomelanin synthesis is
proposed to be covered by a eumelanic surface (20). Two
other enzymes encoded by the TYRP1 and DCT genes have
been characterized biochemically to alter the quality of
the melanin produced, but the details of the chemical
modifications and pathways involved remain to be fully
resolved. Critical structural proteins of the melanosome
that have been characterized include the SILV and MLANA
loci encoding the pMel17/gp100 and MART1 proteins, respectively.
Determination of the spectrum of proteins present during
melanosome biogenesis has been attempted (21), revealing
that each stage contains 600 proteins, with 100 shared at
each stage thus defining the essential proteome component of
the melanosome.
DISCOVERY OF COLOUR GENES: LESSONS
FROM COMPARATIVE GENOMICS
OF PIGMENTATION
Constitutive pigmentation is a polygenic trait and many loci
have been identified in mammalian species through the
characterization of naturally occurring or artificially induced
mutations affecting the level of melanin, or giving rise to
altered pigmentation patterns through enhanced growth or
reduced survival of melanocytic precursors during development.
Mutation of some of these genes causes an absence of
melanin synthesis as is seen in the dilution of mouse coat
colours and in the human oculocutaneous albinisms OCA1-4
and related disorders (2) such as Hermansky–Pudlak Syndrome
(HPS1-8). This is initially how TYR, OCA2, TYRP1
and SLC45A2 (MATP) were defined as human pigmentation
related genes, with polymorphisms within these loci later
reported to be associated with normal variation in skin, hair
or eye colour traits (Table 1).
One of the most important systems regulating human pigmentation
is the G-protein coupled receptor MC1R. Expressed
Figure 1. Variation in human pigmentation apparent through skin colour. An
alignment of forearms from darkest to lightest skin colour illustrating a range
of skin types.
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on the cell surface of the melanocyte, it interacts with ligands
encoded by the POMC (ACTH and aMSH) and ASIP (Agouti
signalling protein) genes. Genetic interaction between these
loci was first discovered by studying the mouse homologues
mapping to the coat colours recessive yellow (Mc1re
) and nonagouti
(a). Another ligand only recently shown to influence
pigmentation through interacting with this axis is the
K-locus of dogs which has been mapped to the b-defesin
gene CBD103, and found to be a major determinant of
canine black coat colour (22), though its role in other
species including humans (HBD3) is yet to be investigated.
The Agouti protein has been shown to act as an inverse
agonist of Mc1r in mouse melanocyte cell culture studies
(23) which provide the precedence for the molecular explanation
of allelic associations with lighter or darker pigmentation
phenotypes in mammals, including ASIP in humans
(24–26). Indeed it has been found that the human MC1R
can rescue the agouti striping coat colour pattern when
expressed as a transgene in recessive yellow mice (27) demonstrating
the potential of ASIP to antagonize signalling from the
human receptor.
Another major human pigmentation gene identified through
comparative genomics is SLC24A5, encoding the NCKX5
protein, the homologue of the zebrafish golden gene mutation
(7). This phenotype is characterized by the lightening of the
lateral strips and deficiencies of melanin in retinal melanocytes
of the fish due to the production of small irregular shaped melanosomes.
Notably, a recent knockout of Slc24a5 in the mouse
has given a phenotype of ocular albinism with no gross
changes in pigmentation of the coat colour apparent. However,
microscopic differences were seen in the melanosomes, and
exposed skin surfaces of the mice were paler than normal (28).
An ancestral allele of SLC24A5 was found in non-European
groups using information from the HapMap database to
examine the frequency of SNPs reported in this locus, an
Ala111Thr polymorphism reaching near fixation in Europeans.
This population-based difference in frequency stimulated
investigations into genotype–phenotype correlations using a
skin melanin-index scale in African-American and AfricanCaribbean
admixed populations (7), which indicated that
25–38% of variation was due to this single SLC24A5
polymorphism within the study group.
In another powerful example of cross species parallel evolution
of a colour gene locus, Miller et al. (8) performed
genome wide linkage mapping to explore the genetic differences
between pigmentation patterns of marine and freshwater
species of three-spine sticklebacks which express dark or pale
gills, respectively. Fine mapping within the region implicated
the Kitlg (Kit ligand for the Kit receptor) as being differentially
regulated between these species. Kitlg is a gene that
had previously been implicated in regulating the distribution
and number of melanocytes in the mouse and mapped to the
Figure 2. Melanin content of human melanocyte cultures characterized by pigmentation genotype. (A) Average melanin content of primary human melanocytes
grown in cell culture based on independent genotypes for SLC45A2 (MATP Leu374Phe), SLC24A5 (NCKX5 Ala111Thr) and OCA2 (r12913832 T/C) (53). The
ratio of the homozygous strains is designated in each panel. (B) Representative transmission electron micrographs showing differences in melanosome maturation
of a lightly pigmented strain, showing predominant stages I and II, and a darkly pigmented strain showing more mature stage III and IV melanosomes.
Genotypes are as indicated.
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Table 1. Human pigmentation gene polymorphisms and population allele frequencies
Mouse coat colour/KO Human Protein Null Variation SNP Amino acid Populationa
SNP frequencies (allele 1/allele 2)b
European Chinese Japanese African
Albino TYR Tyrosinase 529 aa OCA1 Skin colour rs1042602 C.A Ser192Tyr 0.583/0.417 1.0/0 1.0/0 1.0/0
Skin colour rs1800422 G.A Arg402Gln 0.604/0.396c
1.0/0c
– 0.935/0.065c
rs1126809 G.A Arg402Gln 0.783/0.217 1.0/0 1.0/0 1.0/0
Brown TYRP1 TYRP1 537 aa OCA3 Eye colour, skin colour rs1408799 C.T – 0.30/0.70 0.989/0.011 0.978/0.022 0.775/0.225
rs2733832 C.T 0.367/0.633 0.989/0.011 0.977/0.023 0.933/0.067
Pink-eyed dilution OCA2 P-protein 838 aa OCA2 Eye colour, skin colour rs1800401 C.T Arg305Trp 0.935/0.065d
– – 0.979/0.021d
rs1800407 G.A Arg419Gln 0.933/0.067 1.0/0 1.0/0 1.0/0
rs1800414 A.G His615Arg 1.0/0 0.367/0.633 0.477/0.523 1.0/0
Brown/blue eye colour rs12913832 T.C – 0.208/0.792 1.0/0 1.0/0 1.0/0
Underwhite SLC45A2 MATP 530 aa OCA4 Skin colour rs26722 G.A Glu272Lys 1.0/0 0.611/0.389 0.591/0.409 0.95/0.05
rs16891982 G.C Leu374Phe 0.017/0.983 0.989/0.011 1.0/0 1.0/0
Ocular albinism SLC24A5 NCKX5 500 aa – Skin colour rs1426654 G.A Ala111Thr 0/1.0 0.989/0.011 0.989/0.011 0.975/0.025
Extension/recessive yellow MC1R MC1R 317 aa Red hair r rs1805005 G.T Val60Leu 0.122e
R rs1805006 C.A Asp84Glu 0.012e
r rs2228479 G.A Val92Met 0.097e
R rs11547464 G.A Arg142His 0.004e
R rs1805007 C.T Arg151Cys 0.11e
R rs1110400 T.C Ile155Thr 0.009e
R rs1805008 C.T Arg160Trp 0.07e
R rs885479 G.A Arg163Gln 0.047e
R rs1805009 G.C Asp294His 0.027e
Agouti ASIP ASIP 132 aa – Eye colour rs4911442 A.G 0.93/0.07 1.0/0 1.0/0 1.0/0
rs6058017 (8818 A.G) 0.758/0.242d
0.396/0.604d
rs1015362 A.G 0.233/0.767 0.122/0.878 0.261/0.739 0.833/0.167
rs4911414 G.T 0.725/0.275 0.878/0.122 0.739/0.261 0.867/0.133
Steel KITLG KITLG 273 aa – Skin colour rs642742 A.G 0.136/0.864 0.267/0.733 0.114/0.886 0.922/0.0778
Hair colour rs12821256 T.C 0.858/0.142 1.0/0 1.0/0 1.0/0
IRF4 – Hair colour rs12203592 C.T 0.167/0.833 1.0/0 1.0/0 1.0/0
Hair colour rs1540771 G.A 0.424/0.576 0.756/0.244 0.644/0.356 0.942/0.058
SLC24A4 SLC24A4 605 aa – Hair colour, eye colour rs12896399 G.T 0.4/0.6 0.789/0.211 0.42/0.58 0.992/0.008
TPCN2 TPC2 752 aa – Hair colour rs35264875 A.T Met484Leu 0.825/0.175 1.0/0 1.0/0 1.0/0
Hair colour rs3829241 G.A Gly734Gln 0.55/0.45 0.822/0.178 0.727/0.273 0.975/0.025
a
Hapmap population descriptors: CEU: CEPH (Utah residents with ancestry from northern and western Europe); JPT: Japanese in Tokyo, Japan; CHB: Han Chinese in Beijing, China; YRI:
Yoruba in Ibadan, Nigeria; http://www.hapmap.org/.
b
Population allele frequencies that are most divergent are indicated in bold type.
c
Population data recorded in Perlegen database http://genome.perlegen.com/.
d
Population data recorded in SNP500Cancer panel NCI.
e
Allele frequency from (56).
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steel coat colour locus. Expression studies showed a reduction
in Kitlg associated with the lightening of pigmentation in
freshwater sticklebacks; moreover, the reduced expression
was likely due to cis-acting regulatory changes rather than a
coding region mutation. Miller et al. then turned their attention
to KITLG variation in humans (9–12) to test for association
between skin colour and an ancestral SNP allele in West Africans
and strong linkage for the derived allele within Europeans
and East Asians. By sampling an African-American population
for a highly conserved and potential regulatory SNP,
it was found that individuals carrying two ancestral alleles
were associated with 20% higher melanin index scores
than individuals carrying two European/East Asian alleles.
Finally, a list of all known loci influencing pigmentation is
available from the ESPCR web site (www.espcr.org/micemut/),
which currently lists 279 colour loci in mice and their human
and zebrafish homologues (29). These include both cloned and
non-cloned colour genes and are actively updated. The number
of pigmentation genes mapped, identified and functionally
characterized continues to grow, notably not only those
affecting lightening but also darkening of pigmentation in
model organisms (30,31).
SIGNS OF POSITIVE SELECTION IN HUMAN
PIGMENTATION LOCI
An understanding of the genetic basis for differences in physical
traits between human populations can be investigated
based on evolutionary models of adaptation and natural
selection. Regions of the human genome undergoing positive
selection have recently been examined using SNP databases
derived for different population groups using a variety
of genetic tests to scan for such signatures, including
decreased heterozygosity (LnRH), atypical levels of population
differentiation of alleles (FST) or decay of linkage
disequilibrium (extended haplotype homozygosity). A combination
of these approaches has found clear evidence for the
selection of pigmentation-related genes in different populations
(9,11,12,32). This reflects the fact that skin colour as
a selectable trait has likely occurred multiple times at
diverse geographical sites around the globe in ancestral as
well as presently distributed human populations. A framework
evolutionary tree model for the independent selection of
pigmentation genes in the three populations East Asian, European
and West African has been proposed leading to a conclusion
of convergent evolution in the case of lighter skin
colour (33,34).
In Europeans, genetic selection has been confirmed for
SLC24A5 (7,34) and SLC45A2 (34,35) in relation to the
evolution of pale skin colour. A range of other genes
showing signs of selection in at least one population include:
TYR, TYRP1, DCT, OCA2, MC1R, ASIP, KITL, MITF, SILV,
MYO5A, DTNBP1 (HPS7), RAB27A, ATRN, LYST, MLPH,
HPS6, TRPM1, ADAM17, ADAMTS20 (33,36–38). However,
the realization of the evolutionary significance of these genes
in diverse human populations is only a forerunner to functional
genetic and biochemical studies that must be conducted including
linkage and pigmentation phenotype associations.
GENOME WIDE AND LOCUS SPECIFIC
ASSOCIATION STUDIES OF PIGMENTATION
GENES
Several groups have now undertaken a new initiative in using
a genome-wide association study (GWAS) approach to the
genetic analysis of human pigmentary traits, whereby an
unbiased systematic screen is used to interrogate the frequencies
of 500 000 or more common SNPs scattering the entire
human genome. For reasons of statistical power, large population
sample sizes, usually in the thousands, must be screened
for such phenotypic associations in case–control studies (13).
Alternatively, a large discovery sample set is first used with
candidate SNPs identified then brought forward to verify in
an independent population. Each of these approaches requires
an extraordinary investment in the resources necessary to
conduct such large scale genotyping. To date, seven such
screens have been carried out to examine SNP associations
with pigmentary traits or for skin cancer incidence (26,39–44).
The discovery of positively associated SNPs does not immediately
identify those responsible for such colour changes, but
the causal variant may lie within the locus identified or
linked close by in the genome.
One of the first GWAS investigations examined the SNP
frequency distribution associated with skin colour in a population
of South Asian descent (12,39), the most diverse gene
pool outside of Africa. A random selection of 98 individuals
was initially assessed to determine empirically the top and
bottom 20% rankings of skin reflectance in the population.
This allowed targeting 395 individuals of darkest and 383 individuals
of lightest skin colour in their collection, representing
cohort 1. Population stratification within these 778 individuals
was accounted for by using 294 unlinked genomic control
SNPs which lead to the exclusion of 25% of the original individuals.
Based on these results, a second cohort was recruited
designed to reduce the population stratification bias. DNA
pools from 286 of the darkest and 285 of the lightest colour
of cohort 1 were used for genotyping with SNPs spanning
the entire human genome. P-values for allele frequency differences
between the groups allowed 30 000 SNPs to be selected
for individual genotyping on these samples with a further 66
candidate SNPs selected from various pigmentation-related
genes. Single SNPs were tested for their association with
skin reflectance using logistic regression with 42 SNPs of
highest significance, which was then repeated in the second
cohort of 231 people. Surprisingly, 39 of the 42 SNPs were
in the one chromosomal region 15q21.1–21.2, with the strongest
SNP having an allele-frequency difference of 45%
between the reflectance groups which mapped 21 kb from
the closest gene, SLC24A5. The remaining three SNPs identified
included two non-synonymous changes TYR Ser192Tyr
and SLC45A2 Leu374Phe (Table 1). Further genotyping of
chromosomal region 15q21.1–21.2 in the second cohort narrowed
the responsible polymorphism to the Ala111Thr
change in SLC24A5. The three non-synonymous polymorphisms
were then tested for genetic interactions with skin reflectance
which lead the authors to conclude that a simple additive
model could account for the skin pigmentation differences
between the top and bottom 20% of the South Asian population
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studied, and obviously that these alleles would also contribute
to pigmentary variation in other populations.
Characterizing the genetic basis to the physical traits of hair,
eye and skin colour, as well as skin cancer incidence in Europeans
has been the focus of three other reports by the
deCODE genetics group based in Iceland (26,40,41). The
initial scan designed to identify SNP variants within genes
associated with pigmentary traits in a large population
sample of 2986 Icelanders was then replicated in a second
independent sample of 2718 individuals from the same area,
with the most significant associations observed in these two
collections again tested in a third sample of 1214 Dutch individuals.
The genome scan in the discovery set identified 104
phenotypic statistical associations accounted for by 60 distinct
SNPs which clustered to five separate chromosomal regions
(45). These included MC1R, HERC2-OCA2 and KITLG
already known to influence pigmentation. One of the remaining
loci overlapped the SLC24A4 gene; this gene falls into the
same solute carrier (sodium/potassium/calcium exchanger)
family as the SLC24A5 gene (7). Lastly, an intergenic region
mapping between the IRF4 and EXOC2 loci was identified,
with only the IRF4 protein (interferon regulatory factor 4) previously
implicated in melanocytic biology (46). Another independent
GWAS conducted upon a collection of people of
European ancestry from the USA and Australia has also identified
IRF4 and SLC24A4 as being linked with hair colour (43),
as well as confirming the roles of SNPs within the HERC2OCA2,
MC1R and SLC45A2 loci.
A further report from the deCODE genetics group expanded
their discovery search for correlations with human pigmentation
to a total of 5130 individuals, thus increasing the
power of their GWAS to find SNP associations (26). This
has allowed two coding variants within the TPCN2 gene,
Met484Leu and Gly734Glu, to be found in relation to their
effects on blond versus brown hair colour. The TPCN2
protein is a putative cation-selective ion channel which highlights
the functional importance of ion transport to melanogenesis,
recently confirmed in relation to calcium ion exchange by
the SLC24A5 protein (47). One haplotype spanning the ASIP
locus on 20q11.22 was also found to be associated with red
hair colour (RHC), freckling and sun sensitivity, with two
latter reports also implicating the same chromosomal region
with skin cancer incidence (41,42). The known interaction of
ASIP as an antagonist of the MC1R receptor expressed on
the melanocyte indicates the potential for epistasis to occur
between these two loci in the determination of the human
RHC phenotype, with the ASIP haplotype identified being
roughly equivalent to a low penetrant MC1R ‘r’ allele (48).
A single SNP within the TYRP1 gene was also associated
with blue versus non-blue eye colour (26) and skin cancer
risk (41).
Specific screens for polymorphisms associated with human
eye colour variation have recently taken place using GWAS
(44), linkage and haplotype studies (49), and fine mapping
SNP association (50–52). Earlier studies had shown the
OCA2 locus as the likely major gene influencing blue-brown
eye colour (3), and consistent with this no other regions
were found from the genome-wide search. Surprisingly, the
SNPs showing the greatest evidence of association were in
the upstream flanking HERC2 gene (40,44). Resolution of
this issue is made by the finding of a highly evolutionary conserved
region within intron 86 of HERC2 21 kb upstream from
the OCA2 initiation site containing a single SNP that segregates
almost perfectly with blue-brown eye colour (49,52).
This change (rs12913832 T.C) in a putative regulatory
element alters the recognition site for the helicase-like transcription
factor and is postulated to lead to decreased
expression of OCA2 protein within melanocytes (52,53), as
such it is the causative SNP for blue eye colour with effects
also apparent on skin and hair colour.
The path from identifying loci responsible for pigmentary
traits to identification of the causal SNPs is by no means
easy, fine mapping of common SNPs spanning the linked
chromosomal region can narrow the search, but complete resequencing
in diverse individuals may be needed to uncover all
variation that must be tested. Detailed genetic analysis of some
of the specific pigmentation phenotypic associations of these
candidate pigmentation loci has already been performed
(54,55), including studies for MC1R (56), SLC45A2 (57) and
SLC24A5 (58). The challenge is to discern the true polymorphism
responsible which may not be possible by statistical
association alone. Suggestions of biological mechanisms in
the regulation of melanogenesis, predicting the effects of
protein variation on function, or recognition of evolutionary
conservation, will all be called into play.
FUNCTIONAL STUDIES OF PIGMENTATION GENE
POLYMORPHISM
To give a molecular explanation for how alleles genetically
associating with skin, hair and eye colour may determine an
individual’s pigmentation phenotype, these alleles must be
subject to functional investigation. This may include biochemical
tests for possible differences between normal and
variant versions of encoded proteins, changes in regulatory
elements effecting expression levels of gene transcription or
mRNA stability, post-translational stability or alteration in
trafficking with the cell.
The most intensively studied gene to date is MC1R, where
nine common alleles (Table 1) in the European population
have been functionally analysed by expression of the variant
receptor proteins by in vitro cell transfection studies (59).
This has allowed for individual characterization of the efficiency
of each variant to reach the cell surface and so interact
with ligand, examined their ability to couple to the intracellular
messenger cAMP, and analysed the dominant negative
effects on the wild-type allele, an important consideration as
allelic interaction had already been seen genetically as a heterozygote
carrier effect on skin pigmentation. These combined
results have revealed a remarkable parallel between the biochemical
properties of each variant allele and the pigmentation
characteristics found in several genetic association studies.
Another example of the use of cellular biochemistry in correlating
pigmentation phenotype with molecular function is
the recent work of Ginger et al. (47) investigating the consequences
of the SLC24A5 Ala111Thr polymorphism in the
activity of the NCKX5 protein. NCKX5 was found to partially
localize to the trans-Golgi network; however, proteomic
analysis of melanocytes also previously demonstrated its
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presence in stage IV melanosomes (21), supporting a role in
some capacity for NCKX5 in the formation of melanosomes.
Expression of the NCKX5 protein in an insect cell-line-based
uptake assay system demonstrated the 111Thr version, present
at high frequency in European populations, showed significantly
reduced potassium-dependent sodium-calcium ion
exchange activity compared with the predominant 111Ala
form of this protein. Thus, the importance of the SLC24A5
polymorphism to protein function has been demonstrated,
with future experiments required to determine the molecular
mechanism of action in melanosome biogenesis.
For a direct understanding of the cellular basis of genetic
polymorphisms underlying phenotypic variation of human
pigmentation, primary cultures of human melanocytes may
be used (60). For this reason, we recently established a
range of fully differentiated clonal melanocyte cultures
derived from donor skin tissue characterized for three causal
SNPs within the loci SLC45A2 (MATP Phe374Leu),
SLC24A5 (NCKX5 Ala111Leu) and OCA2 (rs12913832
T.C) and assessed their impact on pigmentation phenotypes
and gene expression levels in vitro (53). Measurement of
melanin content found that some strains contained significantly
lower amounts compared with others (Fig. 2A). When
analysed by the three SNP genotypes individually, heterozygous
strains were on average intermediate between the
homozygous states, with homozygotes each showing greater
than 2-fold melanin concentration differences. Melanosome
maturation observed by transmission electron microscopy
found that homozygous European allele strain melanocytes
at these loci contained predominantly less dense Stage II–III
melanosomes in culture than non-European predominant
allele strain melanocytes, which displayed more mature
Stage III–IV melanosomes (Fig. 2B), illustrative of the cellular
basis to skin colour diversity (15). Determination of
enzyme function showed a correlation between tyrosinase
activity and melanin content as per genotype at the three
causal SNPs (Fig. 3A). Moreover, assessment of L-DOPA
reactivity demonstrated a similar trend to the tyrosinase assay,
as strains having higher levels of activity also had higher
L-DOPA reactivity as visualized by light photomicroscopy
(Fig. 3B). Our genotyped melanocyte cell strains, therefore,
reflect the population-based genotype–phenotype association
studies implicating these causal polymorphisms in human
colour variation (Fig. 1).
THE CENTRAL ROLE OF MELANOSOME
FORMATION IN HUMAN PIGMENTATION
DIVERSITY
While many mutant alleles responsible for loss of pigment
in human OCA1 albinism have been identified in the TYR
locus few coding polymorphisms, such as Ser192Tyr and
Arg402Gln seen in Europeans, in the tyrosinase protein have
been associated with any effects upon pigmentation traits
(40,41). As such, earlier expectations that multiple TYR gene
polymorphisms affecting the first step in the melanogenesis
pathway would constitute a major component of normal
variation of human pigmentation is unfounded, rather a
plethora of pigmentation gene polymorphism is manifest
(Table 1). Empirical observations correlating skin colour
with reports such as the levels of Cathepsin L2 being higher
with lighter pigmentation (61), activation of PAR2 expressed
in the keratinocyte increasing skin pigmentation (62,63),
and differential tanning responses (64) are still imperative to
Figure 3. Measured and in situ tyrosinase activity of human melanocyte
cultures characterized by pigmentation genotype. (A) Average tyrosinase
activity determined for primary human melanocytes grown in cell culture
based on independent genotypes for SLC45A2 (MATP Leu374Phe),
SLC24A5 (NCKX5 Ala111Thr) and OCA2 (r12913832 T/C) (53). The ratio
of the homozygous strains is designated in each panel. (B) An alignment of
primary human melanocytes grown in cell culture based on L-DOPA reactivity
from darkest to lightest colour as visualized by bright field light photomicroscopy.
QF strains and genotypes are as indicated.
Human Molecular Genetics, 2009, Vol. 18, Review Issue 1 R15
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understand the ethnic differences in pigmentation biology.
However, it is apparent that it is the regulation of melanogenic
enzymes, including tyrosinase, that is central to melanogenesis
(65). Any gene acting by itself or as part of a cellular pathway
involved in the process of melanosomal biogenesis is a candidate
to explain phenotypic diversity in populations. The identification
of 92 novel genes supporting melanin pigment
production via a cell-based RNAi genome wide screen (66)
demonstrates the scope of components upon which natural
selection has to operate. It is notable that a large panel of
these targets were shown in mechanistic studies to converge
on the expression or stability of tyrosinase, indicating that
this molecule is likely to remain a key target in the generation
of pigmentation diversity.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
R.A.S. is an NHMRC Senior Research Fellow. The Institute
for Molecular Bioscience incorporates the Centre for Functional
and Applied Genomics as a Special Research Centre
of the Australian Research Council. Guy Hall was the photographer
of the picture used as Figure 1 which was provided by
Michele Ramsay of the NHLS, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Conflict of Interest statement. None declared.
FUNDING
The Melanogenix laboratories work on human pigmentation
genetics is funded in part by grants from the National Health
and Medical Research Council of Australia (511191,
552485) and the Australian Research Council (DP0771169).
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