A strong association between human earwax-type and apocrine colostrum secretion from the mammary gland

• DOI: 10.1007/s00439-007-0356-9
• Publication Date: 2007-03-29T18:05:45Z
• Authors: Kiyonori Miura; Koh-ichiro Yoshiura; Shoko Miura; Takako Shimada; Kentaro Yamasaki; Atsushi Yoshida; Daisuke Nakayama; Yoshisada Shibata; Norio Niikawa; Hideaki Masuzaki
• Keywords: Apocrine

Here we provided the first genetic evidence for an association between the degree of apocrine colostrum secretion and human earwax type. Genotyping at the earwax-type locus, rs17822931 within the ABCC11 gene, revealed that 155 of 225 Japanese women were dry-type and 70 wet-type. Frequency of women without colostrum among dry-type women was significantly higher than that among wet-type women (P<0.0002), and the measurable colostrum volume in dry-type women was significantly smaller than in wet-type women (P=0.0341).