Distribution of melanogenesis-related single nucleotide polymorphisms in pregnant Taiwanese women

Skin hyperpigmentation sometimes occurs on the face during pregnancy. The production of melanin is regulated by genetic factors and simulated by environmental and endocrine factors. However, there is little information about the correlation between genetic variation and skin hyperpigmentation in Taiwanese populations. In the present study, we measured the facial melanin values and analyzed the genotypes of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from pregnant women at Fooyin University Hospital. Four SNPs (TYR rs7129973, SLC45A2 rs26722, KITLG rs642742, and ESR2 rs1271572) were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP), and the melanin values were measured by Mexameter. The results show that allele frequencies of the TYR rs7129973 A allele, SLC45A2 rs26722 G allele, KITLG rs642742 A allele, and ESR2 rs1271572 T allele were 75.0%, 54.5%, 43.8%, and 42.0%, respectively. This is the first report about genetic variation of melanogenesis in pregnant women from Taiwan. However, the association of SNPs with skin hyperpigmentation needs further investigation.