Uncovering the genetic and molecular basis of human hair shape variation and evolution

Modern humans have evolved a range of hair types since leaving Africa, about 70,000 years ago. The genetic basis for these variations in human appearance are beginning to be uncovered. In East Asia, and in the first populations that entered the Americas, a single nucleotide change in the EDAR gene, which encodes a signalling receptor, is largely responsible for causing hair to be thick and straight in these regions. This first example explains some of the variation in appearance between peoples, and other relevant genes are being identified, but how these operate to determine the shape of a hair fibre is not known.

This project will determine how gene activity in hair follicles alters their growth to allow them to produce such different types of hair. Informed by human genetics (Adhikari et al., 2016; Adhikari et al., 2015), the successful candidate will work with skin tissues from a range of mammalian species to assess gene and protein regulation of hair growth, as well as defining the gene expression networks that operate at different parts of the hair’s growth cycle. This will generate an understanding of the causes of human and animal diversity, and an opportunity to understand how humans have managed to evolve such distinct hair types in a relatively short span of time.

Training will include use of gene editing, histology and skin culture and phenotyping, and modern molecular genetics, together with an opportunity to learn computational modelling, providing the successful candidate with opportunities for an academic career in dermatology, evolution, human genetics, pathology, or developmental biology, or in industry

The Roslin Institute is an outstanding location for this project, being fully equipped for gene editing, animal studies and phenotyping. The institute is part of the University of Edinburgh and is situated just to the south of the city.