587 | id == 587
587 | category_id == 63
587 | category_order == 28
587 | category_name == Skin Health
587 | category_color == #C47AC0
587 | slug == OCA2-melanoma
587 | title == Melanin Production in Melanoma (OCA2)
587 | meta_description == OCA2 is involved in melanin production. A variant of OCA2 has been associated with melanoma. Read more here.
587 | summary == <p style="text-align:justify"><strong><em>OCA2</em> may be involved in the production of the pigment melanin. How might a variant of <em>OCA2</em> promote the progression of melanoma? Read more to find out.</strong><br />  &nbsp;</p>
587 | overall_score_text == Your Melanoma Score (based on OCA2 gene)
587 | image == https://sd-selfdecode-assets-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/blog/background/OCA2-Melanoma.jpg
587 | author_id == 14
587 | author_name == Shany Lahan
587 | author_title == MS (Neuroscience)
587 | author_order == 5
587 | author_photo == https://sd-selfdecode-assets-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/blog/author-photo/Shany.webp
587 | author_intro == <p>Shany received her MSc in Neuroscience from Western University.</p>    <p>Prior to joining SelfDecode, Shany conducted research related to Alzheimer&rsquo;s disease, and taught science to undergraduate students. She believes that research should be accessible to everyone, regardless of scientific background. Shany joined SelfDecode&nbsp;with a mission to help others optimize their health and wellbeing &ndash; as well as help them understand the science behind it all.</p>
587 | reviewer == None
587 | medical_reviewer_id == 11
587 | medical_reviewer_name == Puya Yazdi
587 | medical_reviewer_title == MD
587 | publish_date == 2021
587 | publish_date == 1
587 | publish_date == 5
587 | avg_rating == 5.0
587 | tags_id == 164
587 | tags_name == Cancer
587 | tags_id == 1103
587 | tags_name == HERC2 Gene
587 | tags_id == 1054
587 | tags_name == Melanin
587 | tags_id == 1097
587 | tags_name == Melanocyte
587 | tags_id == 1100
587 | tags_name == Melanoma
587 | tags_id == 1105
587 | tags_name == Melanosome
587 | tags_id == 1102
587 | tags_name == OCA2 Gene
587 | tags_id == 1053
587 | tags_name == Pigmentation
587 | tags_id == 1104
587 | tags_name == P Protein
587 | tags_id == 1101
587 | tags_name == Skin Cancer
587 | tags_id == 1098
587 | tags_name == Skin Color
587 | tags_id == 1055
587 | tags_name == Tyrosinase
587 | permissions_favorite == False
587 | permissions_rate == False
587 | content_article == <h2 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Summary</strong></h2> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: #e8ebfc; border-left: 2px solid #4569fa; display: block; padding: 20px;"><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">OCA2 </span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">encodes P protein. P protein may be involved in the production of melanin, a double-edged pigment. A variant of </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">OCA2 </span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">may play a role in melanoma by altering P protein and melanin production. Lifestyle, diet, and supplement modifications may counteract the effects of this variant by limiting the production of melanin.&nbsp;</span></span></p> <h2 style="text-align: justify;"><strong><em>OCA2</em></strong><strong> and Melanoma</strong></h2> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">The </span><a href="https://selfdecode.com/gene/oca2/"><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">OCA2</span></em></a> <span style="font-weight: 400;">gene codes for P protein. This protein is thought to be involved in the formation of melanin pigment within melanosomes -- structures found in melanocyte cells [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/4948"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">P protein may specifically function to transport melanin precursor molecules into and out of melanosomes, balance enzymes that aid in the production of melanin (</span><a href="https://selfdecode.com/blog/article/TYR-melanoma-585/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">tyrosinase</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">), and maintain the acidity of melanosomes at a level required for melanin production [</span><a href="https://medlineplus.gov/genetics/gene/oca2/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC138627/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Melanin, in turn, may play a role in a type of skin cancer called melanoma. In melanoma, DNA-damaged melanocytes divide uncontrollably [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4450257/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].&nbsp;</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Although it may offer a protective function by blocking UV rays and preventing DNA damage prior to melanoma incidence, melanin may also hinder the efficacy of therapies during the course of this disease, thereby promoting melanoma progression [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4450257/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26881706/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">A variant of </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">OCA2 </span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">has been associated with melanoma. Interestingly, this same variant may also alter the activity of </span><a href="https://selfdecode.com/gene/herc2/"><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">HERC2</span></em></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, a neighboring gene that has been shown to regulate P protein production [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3290780/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">This variant may ultimately alter the production of P protein, leading to dysregulated melanin production and consequent disease progression [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25826379/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://europepmc.org/article/med/26237428"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5392271/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <h2 style="text-align: left;"><strong>Your </strong><strong><em>OCA2</em></strong><strong> Results for Melanoma</strong></h2> <p style="text-align: justify;">*8290731884612446*</p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Primary SNP:</strong></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><strong><em>OCA2 </em></strong><a href="https://selfdecode.com/snp/rs4778138/"><strong>rs4778138</strong></a> <span style="font-weight: 400;">[</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25826379/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://europepmc.org/article/med/26237428"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5392271/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">]</span></p> <ul style="text-align: justify;"> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">&lsquo;A&rsquo; = Higher odds of melanoma, relative to &lsquo;G&rsquo;</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">&lsquo;G&rsquo; = Lower odds of melanoma, relative to &lsquo;A&rsquo;</span></li> </ul> <p style="text-align: justify;">*8691950387438612*</p> <h2 style="text-align: left;"><strong>Recommendations for Preventing Melanoma</strong></h2> <p style="text-align: justify;">*7498236603877678*</p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">As described above, low levels of P protein may promote melanoma incidence, while high levels may promote melanoma progression. The recommendations below offer ways to balance the effects of <em>OCA2</em> risk variants by&nbsp;preventing excessive melanin increases, or slightly lowering melanin production.</span></p> <h3 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Lifestyle</strong></h3> <h4 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Reducing UV Exposure</strong></h4> <p style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/avoiding-sun-will-kill-14-proven-science-based-health-benefits-sun/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">UV</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> radiation may worsen the effects of </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">OCA2 </span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">risk variants by exacerbating the production of melanin [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11851885/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15921859/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Excessive, unprotected exposure to UV radiation is by far the main risk factor for the development of melanoma. As mentioned above, UV from both the sun and artificial sources (tanning beds and sun lamps) damages the DNA of melanocytes, potentially causing mutations that turn these cells into melanomas [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25398793/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29936410/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24629998/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">People with low levels of melanin, who typically have fair skin, blond or red hair, and light-colored eyes, are at higher risk of melanoma than those with dark skin [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31002590"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Alternatively, every single mole has a small probability of turning into cancer. Having a high number of moles, especially if they are large or have atypical features, also increases the risk of this skin cancer type [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2545764/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26934430"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Reducing UV radiation by limiting sun exposure (especially in the middle of the day), wearing protective clothing and sunscreen, and being aware of skin-sensitizing medications can greatly reduce the risk of melanoma.</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: #e8ebfc; border-left: 2px solid #4569fa; display: block; padding: 20px;">Reducing UV exposure may help prevent melanoma by limiting the production of melanin.</span></p> <h3 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Diet</strong></h3> <h4 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Coffee</strong></h4> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Spent coffee grounds, coffee polyphenols, coffee silverskin, and coffee oil have all been shown to attenuate the production of melanin. In one study, this effect was partly attributed to reduced production of tyrosinase [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27375763/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32104042/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30675376/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28919754/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">High coffee intake is the main protective dietary factor and has been associated with a reduced incidence of melanoma in multiple large-scale studies. In line with the ability of </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/caffeine-benefits/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">caffeine</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> to prevent UV-induced burns (observed in animal studies), caffeinated coffee provided stronger protection against melanoma than decaffeinated coffee [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25325307/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4311176/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26695410/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26547919/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4729676/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4600068/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6198927/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28891369/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6072575/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32740173/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4966737/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: #e8ebfc; border-left: 2px solid #4569fa; display: block; padding: 20px;">Coffee may help prevent melanoma by limiting the production of melanin.</span></p> <h3 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Supplements</strong></h3> <h4 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Coenzyme Q10</strong></h4> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Multiple studies have demonstrated that </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/coenzyme-q10-ubiquinol/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">coenzyme Q10</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> (</span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/coenzyme-q10-ubiquinol/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">CoQ10</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">) supplementation may ameliorate UV damage and lower the production of melanin by altering the activity of tyrosinase and other proteins [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30991050/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22339577/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Conversely, low blood levels of CoQ10 have been associated with both melanoma incidence and melanoma progression [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16443053"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">In a small study of people with early-stage melanoma, supplementation with CoQ10 (400 mg/day, for 3 years) as an add-on to interferon therapy reduced the rates of recurrence without causing adverse effects [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17505263/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: #e8ebfc; border-left: 2px solid #4569fa; display: block; padding: 20px;">Coenzyme Q10 may help prevent and manage melanoma by limiting the production of melanin.</span></p>
587 | content_snp_table_8290731884612446_key == 8290731884612446
587 | content_snp_table_8290731884612446_blur == True
587 | content_snp_table_8290731884612446_hidden == False
587 | content_learn_more_8691950387438612_key == 8691950387438612
587 | content_learn_more_8691950387438612_blur == True
587 | content_learn_more_8691950387438612_hidden == False
587 | content_learn_more_8691950387438612_text == Based on the variants we looked at, your OCA2 gene is associated with somewhat lower odds of melanoma, relative to other variants. However, other genes and health factors may still contribute to your risk.
587 | content_recommendation_7498236603877678_key == 7498236603877678
587 | content_recommendation_7498236603877678_blur == True
587 | content_recommendation_7498236603877678_hidden == False
rsIDs = rs4778138
rsStatus = rs4778138,OCA2,chr15,28090674,A,C,G,T,15,0,Normal
