FGFR2 is associated with hair thickness in Asian populations

In a study involving 375 individuals from Japanese, Indonesian, and Thai-Mai populations, researchers found that a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the FGFR2 gene, rs4752566, was significantly associated with hair thickness in Asian populations. The rs4752566-T allele was linked to thicker hair and higher FGFR2 mRNA levels, suggesting that FGFR2 polymorphism may affect hair thickness through changes in gene expression. However, the effect on FGFR2 expression was modest, and the study indicates that rs4752566 may not be the causative SNP but could be in linkage disequilibrium with a causative polymorphism specific to Asians. The study highlights the need for further research to confirm these findings and to explore the role of other genes and environmental factors in hair formation.