About us
The Red Hair Variants Project was created to collect data from members who carry at least one of a number of red hair variants on the MC1R (Melanocortin 1 Receptor) gene. The following MC1R red hair variants are included in Family Tree DNA Family Finder results:
In order to find out whether or not you are a carrier of one of these red hair variants, you must download your Family Finder raw data to your computer using a program like 7Zip, which is available online for free. Open your raw data using the program of your choice (like 7Zip). Click on the "Find & Select" function in the upper right of the spreadsheet and then on "find". Type the RefSNP number from the table above in the box that appears and click on "FIND NEXT". The RefSNP should appear inside a bold box. Look at column D and determine if you have at least one risk allele (for example, a T at rs1805008). If you do, you are a carrier and eligible to join the Red Hair Variants Project.
Please do NOT join this project unless you are a carrier of at least one red hair variant and have autosomal test results to prove it.
You do not have to have red hair to join this project. If you carry only one risk allele of a red hair variant, you probably do not have red hair, but you are a carrier and can pass the trait on to your children. Red hair is a recessive trait. It generally takes at least two risk alleles for a person to actually have red hair.
The following MC1R red hair variants are also commonly found but are not currently included in Family Finder test results:
*Not currently included in Family Finder test results.
FTDNA's Red Hair Variants Project is an autosomal dna project (obviously), but one thing everyone should keep in mind is that if you join, you won't show up on the project's public web site unless you have y-dna or mtDNA results from FTDNA.
That is the way FTDNA projects are set up, for one thing, because FTDNA began with y-dna and mtDNA testing, and its first projects were all y-dna and/or mtDNA projects. I doubt anyone would want his or her autosomal data put on display anyway.
So, if you want to show up on the project's public web site in one of the red hair variant categories, you'll need y-dna or mtDNA results from FTDNA.
It's a good idea to get them anyway!
|
RefSNP |
SNP Name |
Alternate Name |
RSPOS |
Risk Allele |
|
rs1805008 |
Arg160Trp |
R160W |
89986144 |
T (C>T) |
|
rs885479 |
Arg163Gln |
R163Q |
89986154 |
A (G>A) |
|
rs2228479 |
Val92Met |
V92M |
89985940 |
A (G>A) |
|
rs1805006 |
Asp84Glu |
D84E |
89919510 |
A (C>A) |
|
rs1110400 |
Ile155Thr |
I155T |
89986130 |
C (T>C) |
|
rs1805005 |
Val60Leu |
V60L |
89919436 |
T (G>T) |
In order to find out whether or not you are a carrier of one of these red hair variants, you must download your Family Finder raw data to your computer using a program like 7Zip, which is available online for free. Open your raw data using the program of your choice (like 7Zip). Click on the "Find & Select" function in the upper right of the spreadsheet and then on "find". Type the RefSNP number from the table above in the box that appears and click on "FIND NEXT". The RefSNP should appear inside a bold box. Look at column D and determine if you have at least one risk allele (for example, a T at rs1805008). If you do, you are a carrier and eligible to join the Red Hair Variants Project.
Please do NOT join this project unless you are a carrier of at least one red hair variant and have autosomal test results to prove it.
You do not have to have red hair to join this project. If you carry only one risk allele of a red hair variant, you probably do not have red hair, but you are a carrier and can pass the trait on to your children. Red hair is a recessive trait. It generally takes at least two risk alleles for a person to actually have red hair.
The following MC1R red hair variants are also commonly found but are not currently included in Family Finder test results:
|
rs11547464* |
Arg142His |
R160H |
89919683 |
A (G>A) |
|
Asp294His |
D294H |
89920138 |
C (G>C) | |
|
Arg151Cys |
R151C |
89919709 |
T (C>T) | |
|
Ser83Pro |
S83P |
89985913 |
C (T>C) |
*Not currently included in Family Finder test results.
FTDNA's Red Hair Variants Project is an autosomal dna project (obviously), but one thing everyone should keep in mind is that if you join, you won't show up on the project's public web site unless you have y-dna or mtDNA results from FTDNA.
That is the way FTDNA projects are set up, for one thing, because FTDNA began with y-dna and mtDNA testing, and its first projects were all y-dna and/or mtDNA projects. I doubt anyone would want his or her autosomal data put on display anyway.
So, if you want to show up on the project's public web site in one of the red hair variant categories, you'll need y-dna or mtDNA results from FTDNA.
It's a good idea to get them anyway!