A Genome-Wide Association Study of Skin and Iris Pigmentation among Individuals of South Asian Ancestry

Abstract

South Asia has a complex history of migrations and is characterized by substantial pigmentary and genetic diversity. For this reason, it is an ideal region to study the genetic architecture of normal pigmentation variation. Here, we present a meta-analysis of two genome-wide association studies (GWASs) of skin pigmentation using skin reflectance (M-index) as a quantitative phenotype. The meta-analysis includes a sample of individuals of South Asian descent living in Canada (N = 348), and a sample of individuals from two caste and four tribal groups from West Maharashtra, India (N = 480). We also present the first GWAS of iris color in South Asian populations. This GWAS was based on quantitative measures of iris color obtained from high-resolution iris pictures. We identified genome-wide significant associations of variants within the well-known gene SLC24A5, including the nonsynonymous rs1426654 polymorphism, with both skin pigmentation and iris color, highlighting the pleiotropic effects of this gene on pigmentation. Variants in the HERC2 gene (e.g., rs12913832) were also associated with iris color and iris heterochromia. Our study emphasizes the usefulness of quantitative methods to study iris color variation. We also identified novel genome-wide significant associations with skin pigmentation and iris color, but we could not replicate these associations due to the lack of independent samples. It will be critical to expand the number of studies in South Asian populations in order to better understand the genetic variation driving the diversity of skin pigmentation and iris color observed in this region.

Keywords: South Asia; genome-wide association study; iris color; skin pigmentation.