2012 National DNA Day Online Chatroom Transcript

This is just one question from an archive of the National DNA Day Moderated Chat held in April 2012. The NHGRI Director and many genomics experts from across NHGRI took questions from students, teachers and the general public on topics ranging from basic genomic research, to the genetic basis of disease, to ethical questions about genetic privacy.

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If you have parents who have pale complections could they have a child with dark skin color?      Pam Schwartzberg, M.D., Ph.D.: I am Senior Investigator in NHGRI's Genetic Disease Research Branch. I study mouse models of primary immunodeficiencies (genetic diseases that impair the ability of the immune system to fight infections) and how specific disorders affect responses to infectious diseases. Skin color can be influenced by many genetic loci and it certainly is possible that lighter skin parents might have somewhat darker skin children. But it really depends on many things and is hard to know, depending on the skin colors. Peru High School in IN (11th grade student)

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