Uncovering the Genetic Architecture and Evolutionary Roots of Androgenetic Alopecia in African Men

This study examined the genetic architecture of androgenetic alopecia (male-pattern baldness) in 2,136 African men from Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal, and South Africa. It found that genetic predictions based on European data do not generalize well to African populations, with area under the curve statistics ranging from 0.513 to 0.546. An African genome-wide association study (GWAS) identified 266 moderately significant genetic associations with baldness, 51 of which were independent. Most associations were autosomal, and the X chromosome had little impact. The study did not find evidence that Neanderthal alleles contribute to differences in baldness genetics between continents. The findings highlight the limited portability of polygenic predictions across different ancestries due to population genetic differences, emphasizing the need for ancestry-specific genetic studies to improve understanding and prediction of male-pattern baldness in diverse populations.