Professor Eiberg first implicated the OCA2 gene as being responsible for eye color. His findings are the latest in a decade of genetic research, which began in 1996.
A team at the University of Copenhagen has tracked down a genetic mutation and is the cause of the eye color of all blue-eyed humans. This genetic mutation affecting the OCA2 gene in our chromosomes resulted in the creation of a “switch”, which literally “turned off” the ability to produce brown eyes.
Professor Eiberg from the Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine said we originally all had brown eyes. Variation in the color of the eyes from brown to green can all be explained by the amount of melanin in the iris, but blue-eyed individuals only have a small degree of variation in the amount of melanin in their eyes. The official name of this gene is “oculocutaneous albinism II.” The mutation affected the so-called OCA2 gene, which is involved in the production of melanin, the pigment that gives color to our hair, eyes, and skin.
I thought this very interesting since my twin sister and I have green eyes, my brother has blue eyes and my mom has brown eyes.
P protein is a protein that in humans is encoded by the OCA2 gene. Genes hold the information to build and maintain an organism’s cells and pass genetic traits to offspring. So it all boils down to if you do not have brown eyes you have a genetic mutation.
This reminds me of the lyrics by Crystal Gayle, Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue. Well now I know how people get different colored eyes though I do wonder how a few people get two different colour eyes?
Signing off - the ‘Green Eyed Girl’……what a great song.