ABCC11 Gene: Ear wax and no body odor

Key takeaways:
~ The ABCC11 gene determines both the type of earwax a person has and their armpit odor.
~ A single change in the DNA of this gene can cause it to stop functioning, resulting in a lack of body odor.
~ You can check your 23andMe, AncestryDNA, or other raw data file to see which version of ABCC11 you have.

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ABCC11: the “no body odor gene”

In a nutshell:

• People with the ABCC11 non-functioning gene variant have dry earwax and little or no body odor.
• People with a functioning ABCC11 gene usually have wet earwax and body odor.

Genetic variants that cause a loss of function of the ABCC11 gene are very common among East Asian ethnicities (80-90% of the population).

In other population groups, it is rare to have no body odor. In fact, only around 2% of Caucasians carry the ‘no body odor’ version of the gene.

What does the ABCC11 gene do?

The ABCC11 gene (ATP-binding cassette transporter, sub-family C member 11) encodes a protein involved in transporting molecules across cellular membranes.

ABCC11 is required for the transport of lipophilic substances, bile acids, conjugated steroids, and – most importantly – the component found in apocrine sweat and earwax, which results in odor and wet earwax. One component of sweat that can be secreted with the help of ABCC11 is an odorless S-glutathione conjugate.

No body odor:
The transporter doesn’t work for people who have loss-of-function genetic variants and thus doesn’t transfer the S-glutathione conjugate to their armpit skin when they sweat.

Bacteria are the cause of body odor. The S-glutathione conjugate is used by certain types of bacteria, and the change in what is transported in the sweat means that different bacterial species can survive. The bacteria that utilize the S-glutathione conjugate produce a thiol molecule that gives you a sweaty odor. People who have the ABCC11 loss-of-function variant don’t have the bacteria on their skin.[ref] Want to know more about the details? Here’s a great new study on it.

Body odor:
The more common version of the ABCC11 gene that causes body odor also causes an increase in sweat from the armpits.[ref] The Staphylococcus hominis bacteria can then use the S-glutathione conjugate to produce the pungent thiol compound that gives your sweat the distinctive smell.

Thus, if you have the loss-of-function variant, you may have less sweaty armpits than someone who has the functioning version of the gene.

What else is this gene important for?

Variants of this gene are also involved in medication resistance to antiviral and anticancer drugs.[ref]

The wet earwax allele was also associated with a higher risk of breast cancer in Japanese women but not in women of European descent.[ref][ref][ref]

In Japanese men, carrying the allele associated with wet earwax is linked with an increased risk of hidradenitis suppurativa.[ref] Hidradenitis suppurativa is a painful skin condition causing pus-filled lumps under the skin, usually in the underarms, buttocks, or groin areas.

Do you need to wear deodorant if you have the ABCC11 ‘no stink’ variant?

In general people with the non-functioning ABCC11 variant don’t need to wear deodorant.

A few years ago, Scientific American published an interesting piece about how people who genetically don’t have smelly pits often unnecessarily still wear deodorant.[ref]

Other research showed that those with the ‘no body odor’ variant sometimes had other sources of body odor or social reasons for wearing deodorant.[ref]

Lifehacks:

Chemotherapy and cancer:

Changes in the ABCC11 gene may impact your reaction to a type of chemotherapy drug called fluorouracil.[ref] Talk with your doctor if you have concerns here.

Diet and Supplements: 

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