Q. Explain about ABCC11 GENE?

Wax in the external canal of the human ear may be wet or dry.

Whether earwax is wet or dry has been traced to a gene called ABCC11, found on chromosome 16 in humans. The ABCC11 gene codes for a protein involved with the transport of secretory products across cell membranes. Which products are secreted determines the type of earwax present in humans. Earwax is wet unless an individual has Adenine (A) at a particular site instead of Guanine (G), in which case the wax becomes the dry form. People who inherit the version of the gene that has A from both parents have dry earwax. People who inherit two of the G versions, or one G and one A, have wet earwax.

Dry earwax is very common in East Asians, for example in China 100% of the population has dry earwax. However, it is very rare in both Europe and Africa (less than 3% of the population). Dry earwax is intermediate in frequency in the populations of Central Asia, for example in India 54% of the population has dry earwax. In Japan, 69% of the population has dry earwax. In North America, 30% of native Americans have dry earwax, while it is present in no more than 1% of Americans of European or African descent.