The pigment pheomelanin gives red hair its distinctive color. Red hair has far more of the pigment pheomelanin than it h

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The Pigment Pheomelanin Gives Red Hair Its Distinctive Color Red Hair Has Far More Of The Pigment Pheomelanin Than It H 1 (62.11 KiB) Viewed 173 times

The pigment pheomelanin gives red hair its distinctive color. Red hair has far more of the pigment pheomelanin than it has of the dark pigment eumelanin. The genetics of red hair appear to be associated with the melanocortin-1 receptor (MC1R), which is found on chromosome 16. Red hair is associated with fair skin-color due to low concentrations of eumelanin throughout the body of those with red hair. This lower melanin-concentration confers the advantage that vitamin D can be produced under low light conditions. However, when UV-radiation levels are elevated (as in regions close to the equator) the lower concentration of melanin leads to several medical disadvantages, such as a higher risk of skin cancer. Red hair can originate from several changes on the MC1R-gene. If one of these changes is present on both chromosomes then the respective individual has red hair. This type of inheritance is described as autosomal recessive. In the United States, it is estimated that 4% of the population have red hair. a) What is the allele frequency for red hair in the USA population? b) What are the genotype frequencies related to red hair in the USA population? bis if the fith c) What is the probability that a non-redhead individual is heterozygous?