Genetic influences on human body odor: from genes to the axillae

Several groups have identified the characteristic axillary odorants and how they arrive on the skin surface, pre-formed, bound to water-soluble odorless precursors in apocrine secretions. In the current issue, Martin et al., (2010) describe the relationship between the production of axillary odorants and variants in the ABCC11 gene. Individuals who are homozygotic for a SNP (538G>A) were found to have significantly less of the characteristic axillary odorants than either individuals who were heterozygotic for this change or those who had the wild-type gene. The 538G>A SNP predominates in Asians who have nearly complete loss of typical body odor. ABCC11 is expressed and localized in apocrine sweat glands. These findings are remarkably similar to the ethnic distribution and expression patterns for apocrine apoD, a previously identified carrier of a characteristic axillary odorant.