Computational derivation of a molecular framework for hair follicle biology from disease genes

    November 2017 in “Scientific Reports
    Rachel K. Severin, Xinwei Li, Kun Qian, Andreas Mueller, Lynn Petukhova
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    TLDR The research provides a gene-based framework for hair biology, highlighting the Hippo pathway's importance and suggesting links between hair disorders, cancer pathways, and the immune system.
    In the 2017 study, researchers created a comprehensive archive of 684 genes associated with monogenic hair disorders to improve diagnostic sequencing and understanding of hair follicle biology. They performed an annotation enrichment analysis, identifying 4,937 significantly enriched molecular annotations and constructed a hair follicle signaling network, which revealed the previously unrecognized role of the Hippo signaling pathway. Hierarchical clustering was used to identify 35 gene clusters representing biological modules, potentially useful for a new biology-based disease taxonomy. The study also found significant enrichment in cancer pathways and suggested the immune system's involvement in hair follicle biology. This work aimed to facilitate precision medicine and suggested further investigation into the biological modules and their disease links. The study provides a framework for understanding hair follicle disease biology and highlights the Hippo signaling pathway for future research in hair growth.
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