The Red Hair Factory

So a mutation in the melanocortin 1 receptor gene, or MC1R, causes red hair. But how and why exactly?

Let’s break it down into a simple economic analogy by using the principle of supply and demand. In a person who can tan, the demand is the external environment, or the sun. The supply is darker skin pigment, which provides more UV protection. The skin is suddenly exposed to the stress of the sun, perhaps on a beach in Maui (sigh I wish!). So it needs to produce darker pigment to protect itself from being burned. The CEO and the COO of the pigment-producing corporation are the pituitary and hypothalamus glands in the brain. This corporation has several subsidiary pigment-producing factories called skin melanocyte cells. Together the CEO, the COO, and the factories sound an alarm by producing a hormone called the alpha melanocyte-stimulating hormone, or alpha-MSH. This alarm and message reaches all of the factory managers in the subsidiary factories and instructs them to increase production of darker pigment. The managers get on the factory intercom, or the melanocortin 1 receptor (MC1R), and relay a broadcast to their assembly lines, or melanosomes, within the factory. The factory managers instruct the assembly lines to shift production from a lighter red/yellow type of pigment (pheomelanin) to a darker brown/black type of pigment (eumelanin). This process is called tanning. The factories also produce other products, such as nitric oxide, serotonin, melanocortins, catecholamines and inflammatory cytokines. These substances indicate that these factories also play an important role in immune function and in communicating between the skin and the central nervous system.

The Broken Intercom

So the above is what is supposed to happen when skin is exposed to the sun, but why does this not happen to redheads? Why do we not tan? There are any number of places where the system can break down. Specifically, the problem for the vast majority of redheads is in the intercom or MC1R. The factory manager receives the message and relays the broadcast over the intercom, yet nothing but static comes out on the other end to the assembly line (kind of like the glitchy intercom in one of the Dharma Initiative hatches on the TV show Lost). It’s like there is a short in the MC1R electrical wiring. Completely oblivious to the orders of all of their superiors, the assembly lines just keep making red/yellow pigment which is less photo-protective, burns more easily, and is more susceptible to melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancers. Basically, we get sunburned, dammit! Scientists have discovered five unique kinds of electrical shorts in various locations throughout the MC1R wiring which causes red hair. Apparently, there are other variants in the MC1R intercom which hold the mystery of the genetics of blondes and brunettes as well. Scientists are still perplexed about dark hair, pale skin, and freckles.


Negative Feedback Loop

So when the redhead intercom doesn’t work, and the factories don’t produce the darker pigment, then what happens? Well, some people think the CEO and COO in the brain find out about it in a negative feedback loop and get kind of pissed off. I mean, wouldn’t you also be upset about such blatant insubordination? And they keep sending orders out, via alpha-MSH, to ask “What the hell is going on? Produce more darker pigment now!” So theoretically, if this is true, there would be extra alpha-MSH circulating throughout a redhead’s body, causing a slight hormonal imbalance which has unforeseen consequences in other areas. This is because alpha-MSH has multiple jobs. For example, another job it has is to send messages to increase one’s sensitivity to pain, which it sends to different types of intercoms and receptors that are still functioning quite well within a redhead’s body. Plus its still unclear whether this genetic electrical short may affect the other products that the factory produces. But more of this anon in future blogs!

Other Factors in the Pigment Production System

Other issues that can come up in the production of pigment are as follows:

Raw Materials:

Phenylalanine
Darker pigment is made from phenylalanine, an essential amino acid or protein that comes from wheat, dairy and oats. Malnutrition of this amino acid can cause red hair. I had an acquaintance who adopted a child in Iran. The child was a redhead who suffered from malnutrition. After a few months of proper nutrition, the child turned from a redhead into a brunette! Have you ever heard of red fur syndrome in black cats? Cat food with higher contents of phenylalanine will usually solve the problem.

Sulfur and Other Minerals
Levels of sulfur compounds such as glutathione and cysteine and minerals such as copper, zinc and iron are important components to the production of red/yellow pigment. Higher levels of these substances may cause increased production of lighter pigment over darker pigment. Since redheads are genetically short-wired to predominantly produce red/yellow pigment, which oxidizes easily and needs to be replaced frequently, they will more than likely use up more glutathione or cysteine in their pigment production. Taking a multi-vitamin/mineral supplement along with N-Acetyl-L-Cysteine supports proper pigment production for the fair-skinned and benefits the skin, hair, as well as the liver.

Lack of Proper Tools: The assembly lines, or melanosomes, need specific proteins and enzymes to produce pigment from the raw materials. Lack of these proteins or enzymes can cause red/yellow pigment to be produced or can even cause albinism or a lack of pigment.

A brief digression.....
I wish that I could go back to the age of 10 with this scientific knowledge and debate this point with a boy called Eric. Eric had gotten into the habit of calling me an albino during our many carpools to church youth club. As he would insult me, he would also recline the front car seat onto my knees as I sat in the back seat. Apparently, infuriating me at this age was entertaining to him and others. Eric was (and likely still is) one of those super-geeks who the teachers allowed to set off rockets in the playground as the entire school gathered around and watched in anticipation. Rumor had it that he had an FBI record in his teens for trying to build a bomb with his chemistry set; however, it seems that this rumor might bear some merit as the source was my high school chemistry teacher. Eric was very likable and popular in his geek-dom. I would even go as far as to say that he had a bit of a Spock-like appeal, which was particularly evident in his brow and his manner of speaking. He used to memorize his fellow band members' license plate numbers and recite them for fun, "Kymie, 3RNK036". I remember confronting him about the albino comment later on. To which he replied that ladies used to put arsenic in their tea to make their skin appear as porcelain as mine. Was this his geeky way of flirting with me?

anyway back to the assembly line....
Size of Assembly Lines or Melanosomes: The bigger the assembly lines, the more dense and darker the pigment. Those who have darker skin genetically have bigger melanosomes.

Old Dilapidated Factories: Old melanocyte cells that do not operate properly tend to produce gray hair. Gray hair occurs when melanocyte cells within hair follicles stop producing melanin. Scientists don’t know really know why hair turns gray for some especially as they grow older, but they believe it is based on genetics inherited from parents. It is possible that a thyroid problem, vitamin deficiency, and smoking can accelerate hair turning gray as one gets older.

The Assembly Line Environment: Darker pigment requires an alkaline pH within the melanosome; whereas, lighter pigment requires a more acidic environment. When you are sick, the melanosomal environment tends to become more acidic and your skin becomes a sickly pale.

The Message Itself: A genetic lack of the proopiomelanocortin hormone (POMC), the precursor or prohormone to alpha-MSH, will cause production of red/yellow pigment, adrenal insufficiency, and early onset obesity

The Message Gets Blocked: The agouti-signaling protein intermittently blocks or intercepts the message that goes to the factory managers, but this seems to only apply in mice, not in humans.

Phew! Who knew that red hair was so complicated? Well, I knew and so did you. And I'm glad that science is finally catching up and helping us understand ourselves better. You are all beautiful complicated mutations of nature, and I love you all.