Skip to content
Ancestrify

DNA Traits · Appearance

Hair shape, HOXC13 marker

Whether scalp hair grows straight, wavy or curly.

See a sample report
Free, once per account. Your own private report.
Evidence · Replicated

What the research found

In the cited research, the G allele at rs11170678 was associated with straighter scalp hair.

TT
Curlier
GT
Middle
GG
Straighter
Slight effect

What the study found

In the study, each copy went with hair curliness on a three level scale from straight through wavy to curly about 0.12 points lower on average.

Dutch adults (Erasmus Rucphen Family study) · 977 people · Supplementary Table 2 (rs11170678 row, ERF column: frequency 0.248, beta -0.1208, SE 0.0382, P 1.6e-3) and Methods (ERF three level curliness scale)
Evidence
Replicated genome-wide association
Who was studied
Primarily European ancestry
1000 Genomes Project

How common each genotype is

How common each genotype is in the 1000 Genomes Project, by region
RegionTTCurlierGTMiddleGGStraighter
All regions2,504 people86%12%2%
Africa661 people98%2%<1%
The Americas347 people78%20%3%
East Asia504 people>99%<1%Not seen
Europe503 people55%37%8%
South Asia489 people93%7%Not seen

Among the 2,504 people of the 1000 Genomes Project, in five world regions. These percentages describe groups of people, never anyone’s chance of having a trait.

rs11170678

The marker

Gene or region
HOXC13 region
Marker
rs11170678
Location
Chromosome 12 · GRCh37 54,154,174 · GRCh38 53,760,390
Letters studied
G and T, with G as the studied allele

A DNA Traits report reads this marker in your raw DNA file and shows which of the three genotypes is yours, with how common it is. It counts the copies of the studied allele; it does not measure the trait itself.

Marker
HOXC13 region · rs11170678
Location
Chromosome 12 · GRCh37 54,154,174 · GRCh38 53,760,390
Studied allele
G
Published statistic
Per G: -0.073 European discovery meta-analysis (P 1.6e-11); replication ERF -0.121 (P 1.6e-3), POL -0.074 (P 0.084), CANDELA -0.025 (P 0.24), US -0.023 (P 0.55); non-Asian meta-analysis -0.061 (P 2.0e-13) (Supplementary Table 2); multiple logistic OR 0.78 (Table 2) (Supplementary Table 2 (rs11170678 row, ERF column: frequency 0.248, beta -0.1208, SE 0.0382, P 1.6e-3) and Methods (ERF three level curliness scale))
1000 Genomes Project phase 3, people with 0, 1 and 2 copies
All regions 2151 / 304 / 49 · Africa 647 / 13 / 1 · The Americas 269 / 68 / 10 · East Asia 502 / 2 / 0 · Europe 278 / 187 / 38 · South Asia 455 / 34 / 0
See this card in the sample report
Limits

What it cannot tell you

The same topic

More in Appearance

Free, once per account

See your own two letters.

Upload the raw DNA file you already have. Your report reads this marker and every other card studied for you, each with its evidence and its limits.

See a sample report
Ancestrify

Combining cutting-edge genomic science with rich historical records to map your ancestry across generations and continents.


© 2026 Ancestrify. All rights reserved. · Ancestrify is a trading name of Andi Thomaj, a sole trader registered in Tiranë, Albania · NUIS M61725001N
Card payments processed by POK Payments (RPay Ltd)VISAMASTERCARD