Insights on hair, skin and eye color of ancient and contemporary Native Americans

Author(s)

Telles Carratto, Thassia Mayra ; Marcorin, Leticia ; Debortoli, Guilherme ; Hunemeier, Tabita ; Norton, Heather ; Parra, Esteban Juan ; Castelli, Erick C. ; Mendes-Junior, Celso Teixeira

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: FORENSIC SCIENCE INTERNATIONAL-GENETICS; v. 48, p. 9-pg., 2020-09-01.

Abstract

Over the past few years, tools capable of predicting pigmentation phenotypes have been developed aiming contribute for criminal and anthropological investigations. In this study, we used eight genetic systems to infer eye, hair, and skin color of ancient and contemporary Native Americans. To achieve this goal, we retrieved SNPs from 42 samples available in free online repositories of DNA sequences. We performed pigmentation predictions using two freely available tools, HIrisPlex-S and Snipper, in addition to two other published models. This workflow made possible to predict all three phenotypes with at least one tool for 29 out of the 42 samples. Considering these 29 individuals, predictions for eye, hair, and skin color were obtained with HIrisPlex-S for 27, 28 and 27 individuals, respectively, while 24, 25 and 25 individuals had such predictions with Snipper. general, ancient and contemporary Native Americans were predicted to have intermediate/brown eyes, black hair, and intermediate/darker skin pigmentation. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 17/19223-0 - KIR2DL4, KIR3DL2, KIR3DL3, LILRB1 (ILT2) and LILRB2 (ILT4) variability and haplotypes in a Brazilian population sample from the São Paulo state
• Grantee: Erick da Cruz Castelli
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• FAPESP's process: 13/15447-0 - Next-generation sequencing of exonic and regulatory regions of ten genes involved on melanin biosynthesis in a brazilian population sample
• Grantee: Celso Teixeira Mendes Junior
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants