How Do Genes

Determine Skin Color?

Financial analyst Catherine
Howarth, who is of Nigerian
heritage, believed a rare recessive
white gene resulted in her two
children being completely white.

This case will explore the genetics

of skin color and determine whether
Catherine is correct about her
“recessive white gene.”
Recall that in pea plants, yellow is
dominant to green.

YY = yellow Yy = yellow yy = green

1. If skin color were inherited in a

simple dominant or recessive pattern,
like seed color in pea plants. What
would be the genotypes of dark-
skinned parents that could produce
fair-skinned children?
Jonah (right) and Sophia both have fair skin and
blue eyes.
Many human traits are controlled by
multiple genes. This type of pattern is
called POLYGENIC INHERITANCE.

Examples include: skin color, eye

color, and hair color.

Many human traits are thought to be

controlled by many genes, particularly
those that show a range of
phenotypes.

2. What other traits are likely to be

controlled by multiple genes?
Skin color is controlled by three genes that
interact additively to influence the amount of
melanin produced by cells. The more melanin
that is produced, the darker the pigmentation
of the skin.

It is also called quantitative inheritance,

because each gene “adds” to the amount of
melanin.

AABBCC = darkest level of pigmentation

aabbcc = lightest level of pigmentation.

3. What color skin would a person with

AaBbCc genotype have?
If skin color is controlled by 3 genes, these are the possible
phenotypes.

AABBCC = Dark brown 4. Examine the genotypes

shown, there is a pattern that
AaBBCC explains why polygenes are also
AABbCC Medium browns called “ADDITIVE.” What is the
pattern?
AABBCc

AAbbCC Light browns

AABBcc

AABbCc
AaBBCc Dark tans
More phenotypes...
AABBCC Dark brown AAbbcc
aaBBcc
AaBBCC aabbCC
Medium Light
AABbCC aaBbCc
browns tans
AABBCc AaBbcc
AabbCc
AAbbCC
Light browns
AABBcc
Aabbcc
AABbCc aaBbcc Fair
Dark tans aabbCc
AaBBCc

AaBbCc aabbcc Pale 5. What genotypes would you

aaBbCC (albino)
AabbCC Medium tans assign to Jonah and Sophia?
AABbcc
aaBBCc
Activity: Modeling Skin Color Inheritance
You will need three coins to flip to model the inheritance of skin color. Each coin
represents one of the three genes. Heads is the dominant allele, tails is the
recessive. For example:

Heads - Heads - Tails = ABc

Tails - Heads - Tails = aBc

But each individual has two

parents, so you need to flip
them twice to determine the
full genotype of your
offspring.
6. Create five offspring by flipping
your coins and record them on a
table.
 Polygenic Inheritance Data Table (Skin Pigmentation)

Child Genotype Phenotype

5
Here is another way to
look at your cross. The
coin flipping activity
assumes that each
parent is a heterozygote.

This chart shows the 64

different ways the alleles
can combine.

7. What do each of the

colored circles on the
chart represent?
Now that you have practiced with how skin color is
inherited, consider this problem…..

If Richard Howarth has the

“fair” phenotype: aaBbcc

And Katherine has the “light

brown” phenotype: AAbbCC

8. What genotypes and

phenotypes are possible in
their offspring?
Consider this quote from Catherine Howland regarding her
light skinned babies.

“The only explanation seems to be

there must have been a white gene in
my family that has remained dormant
for years until now. And now it seems
to be very dominant.”

9. Do you agree with this quote? Explain

your reasoning using your understanding
of the genetics of skin color.
Final Thoughts...
Skin color is likely controlled than
more than three genes and there
may be other yet unknown
factors that can influence skin
color.

This case presents a rather

simplified version of a very
complex inheritance pattern.
10. Summarize key vocabulary.

a) Dominant and Recessive

b) Polygenic (Quantitative) inheritance

c) Melanin

d) Genotype and Phenotype

e) Heterozygote