Markers / Gene
TYR
One position in this gene is readable from a home DNA test.
Freckling and sun sensitivity, second marker
rs1393350 · chr11:89,011,046 · G/A · evidence: strong
TYR makes the enzyme at the very start of pigment production. This change is linked to freckling, fairer skin and a greater tendency to burn.
| If you carry | What it means |
|---|---|
| No copies | You do not carry this variant |
| One copy | One copy, so slightly more likely to freckle |
| Two copies | Two copies, so most likely to freckle and to burn rather than tan |
| Ancestry group | A (the effect version) | |
|---|---|---|
| African | 0.8% | |
| American | 12.2% | |
| East Asian | 0.3% | |
| European | 24.4% | |
| South Asian | 5.4% |
1000 Genomes Project phase 3, via Ensembl, retrieved 2026-09-23. These groupings are coarse and flatten a great deal of internal diversity, particularly within Africa. A variant being common somewhere tells you where a piece of your ancestry probably comes from, and nothing else.
Where this gene fits
If you have taken a home DNA test, these positions are already in your file.
Read my file