Bernstein Medical Center for Hair Restoration

Is Genetic Hair Loss Linked to Other Diseases?

Q: There was a retrospective study by Lotufo et al. linking male pattern baldness to heart disease. Do you think there are other links like this for androgenetic alopecia? — J.L., San Francisco, CA

A: Family studies revealed both the androgen receptor locus on the X chromosome, as well as a new locus on chromosome 3q26. Association studies performed in two independent groups revealed a locus on chromosome 20 (not near any known genes) as well as the androgen receptor on the X chromosome.

So far, the genetic studies for androgenetic alopecia (AGA) have not revealed identification of a particular gene other than the androgen receptor, as well as the two candidate regions on chromosomes 3 and 20. Inasmuch as the androgen receptor can be involved in other diseases, this might be a feasible connection. Until candidate genes are identified that underlie AGA, it is impossible to predict where the commonalities might lie.

Excerpted from Angela Christiano, Hair Transplant Forum International 2011; 21(1): 14-15.

Read more about Hair Loss Genetics, and see some other Hair Restoration Answers posts on the topic.

Posted by Robert M. Bernstein M.D.

Dr. Christiano Interviewed on Alopecia, Hair Loss Genetics by New York Times

Dr. Christiano Interviewed on Alopecia, Hair Loss by New York Times Dr. Angela Christiano, a colleague of Dr. Bernstein’s at Columbia University, has been studying the causes of alopecia areata and genetic hair loss for many years. She, in fact, suffers from the disease as well.

The New York Times has published a question and answer interview with Dr. Christiano which covers her own struggle with alopecia, her research into the causes of genetic hair loss, and where she sees the field going in the future. Here is one exchange that offers a window into how her research is breaking new ground in the field of hair loss genetics:

Q. When were you able to actually do the study?

A. In 2008. We published our findings this past July. Ours was the first study of alopecia to use a genome-wide approach. By checking the DNA of 1,000 alopecia patients against a control group of 1,000 without it, we identified 139 markers for the disease across the genome.

We also found a big surprise. For years, people thought that alopecia was probably the stepchild of autoimmune skin diseases like psoriasis and vitiligo. The astonishing news is that it shares virtually no genes with those. It’s actually linked to rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes 1 and celiac disease.

Continued discovery by Dr. Christiano and others in the field of hair loss genetics will lead to clues like these, which will shape the future of hair loss treatment. The hope for hair loss sufferers around the world is that a medical treatment can be developed which will effectively cure androgenetic alopecia, or common baldness. There is a lot of ground to be covered and there are many studies yet to be conducted, but progress is being made.

You can read more about Dr. Christiano’s research on our Hair Loss Genetics News page.

Read the article and listen to a two minute audio stream of the interview at the NYT.

Photo c/o Ruth Fremson/The New York Times

Posted by Robert M. Bernstein M.D.

Dr. Christiano at Columbia University Identifies APCDD1, A Newly Discovered Gene Associated With Hair Loss

Dr. Angela Christiano of Columbia University in New York and a team of scientific researchers have identified a new gene involved in hair growth. Their discovery may affect the direction of future research for hair loss and the diagnosis and ultimate prevention of male pattern baldness.

The condition which leads to thinning hair is called hereditary hypotrichosis simplex. Through the study of families in Pakistan and Italy who suffer from this condition, the team was able to identify a mutation of the APCDD1 gene located in chromosome 18. This chromosome has been linked to other causes of hair loss.

According to Dr. Christiano, “The identification of this gene underlying hereditary hypotrichosis simplex has afforded us an opportunity to gain insight into the process of hair follicle miniaturization, which is most commonly observed in male pattern hair loss or androgenetic alopecia.”

The mutation of the APCDD1 gene inhibits the Wnt signaling pathway. Although this recently discovered gene does not explain the complex process of male pattern baldness, the importance of this discovery lies in the Wnt signaling that the gene directs, has now been shown to control hair growth in humans, as well as in mice.

Reference: Nature 464, 1043-1047 (15 April 2010) | doi:10.1038/nature08875;

Posted by Robert M. Bernstein M.D.