Rs1426654

From SNPedia

This SNP influences skin pigmentation. The allele p.A111T, rs1426654(A), indicates light-skinned european ancestry. [PMID 16847698, PMID 16357253]

It appears as if this SNP is a relatively new one in human evolution; one estimate [PMID 17182896] is that the rs1426654(A) allele, in other words, light skin pigmentation, spread through the European population around 6,000 - 12,000 years ago. Prior to that, "European ancestors" were most likely relatively brown-skinned.

This SNP is one of three from the SLC24A5 gene that can be analyzed to categorize the ancestry of a person as either European, African, or Asian, based on a 2009 study.[PMID 19440451]

The 3 SNPs are:

• rs1426654
• rs2555364
• rs16960620