Envious of another's natural curls? Don't be, researchers advise. Because it all comes down to the genes.
Professor Nick Martin and Dr Sarah Medland from the Queensland Institute of Medical Research (QIMR) have discovered trichohyalin gene that plays a vital role in development of the hair follicle.They said that it is variation in this gene that determines the straightness or curliness of hair.
A group of Japanese researchers had previously found the genetic variations for the thick, straight hair that is predominant in Asian populations.
The differences in the EDAR and FGFR2 genes were identified last year and are thought to have occurred as part of the evolution of Asian populations following their prehistoric divergence from Europeans.
In the new study, the research team sought to determine a similar variation responsible for curly hair in those of European descent.
It is known that 45pct of European people have straight hair, 40pct have wavy hair and 15pct have curly hair.
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Martin says it was a "Bingo!" moment when the results showed a big hit on chromosome one, right over the trichohyalin gene.
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The study appears in the latest edition of the American Journal of Human Genetics.
Source-ANI
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