Q: What are the genes that cause male pattern baldness?
A: At this time the genes that actually cause hair loss are still unknown.
However, there are two gene loci, recently identified, that appear to be associated with common baldness. The first is on the Androgen Receptor (AR) gene carried on the x-chromosome and the second is a non-sex chromosome 20p11.
Posted by Updated 2015-08-20
We all have seen that some bald sons have bald fathers, even when no one on the mother’s side of the family has any hair loss. This suggests that the genetics of male pattern alopecia is more complicated, with multiple genes influencing hair growth. And it is likely that the inheritance of baldness is polygenetic, with relevant genes coming from both the x-chromosome of the mother and non-sex chromosomes of either parent. So where are the other genes?
Two independent research groups, one from England and the other Germany, both published in the journal Nature Genetics, have identified a gene locus p11 on chromosome 20 that seems to be correlated with male pattern hair loss, and since the gene is on a non-sex chromosome, it offers an explanation for why the inheritance of common baldness can be from either side of the family.
Posted by Updated 2013-11-07Hair loss has a variety of causes. Diagnosis and treatment is best determined by a board-certified dermatologist. We offer both in-person and online photo consults.
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