Genetic Variation in the Human Androgen Receptor Gene Is the Major Determinant of Common Early-Onset Androgenetic Alopecia
July 2005
in “
American Journal of Human Genetics
”
![Image of study](/images/research/8e02071e-f8f6-457e-a5c6-b79e76a12c7f/medium/2611.jpg)
TLDR Genetic variation in the androgen receptor gene mainly causes early-onset hair loss, with maternal inheritance playing a key role.
This study from 17 years ago found that genetic variation in the androgen receptor (AR) gene is the main factor in the development of common early-onset androgenetic alopecia (AGA). The study analyzed a large number of genetic variants covering the AR locus and suggests that a polyglycine-encoding GGN repeat in exon 1 is a plausible candidate for conferring the functional effect. The X-chromosomal location of AR stresses the importance of the maternal line in the inheritance of AGA.