Meta-Analysis Identifies Novel Risk Loci and Yields Systematic Insights into the Biology of Male-Pattern Baldness

    March 2017 in “ Nature communications ”
    Markus M. Nöthen, Christine Herold, Lara M. Hochfeld, Axel M. Hillmer, Dale R. Nyholt, Julian Hecker, Asif Javed, Elaine Guo Yan Chew, Sonali Pechlivanis, Dmitriy Drichel, Xiu Ting Heng, Ricardo C.H. del Rosario, Heide Fier, Ralf Paus, Rico Rueedi, Tessel E. Galesloot, Susanne Moebus, Thomas Anhalt, Shyam Prabhakar, Rui Li, Stavroula Kanoni, George Papanikolaou, Zoltán Kutalik, Panos Deloukas, Michael P. Philpott, Gérard Waeber, Tim D. Spector, Péter Vollenweider, Lambertus A. Kiemeney, George Dedoussis, J. Brent Richards, Michael Nothnagel, Nicholas G. Martin, Tim Becker, David A. Hinds, Markus M. Nöthen
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    TLDR Researchers found 63 genes linked to male-pattern baldness, which could help in understanding its biology and developing new treatments.
    In 2017, researchers conducted the largest genome-wide association study (GWAS) meta-analysis on male-pattern baldness (MPB) to date, involving 10,846 cases of early-onset MPB and 11,672 controls from eight different cohorts. They identified 63 genetic loci associated with MPB, 23 of which were previously undiscovered. These loci accounted for approximately 39% of the phenotypic variance in MPB. The study highlighted potential candidate genes and pathways, such as FGF5, IRF4, DKK2, melatonin signaling, and adipogenesis, which may play significant roles in MPB's pathophysiology and could be targets for new treatments. The findings also suggest that MPB may share underlying biological mechanisms with other conditions, indicating its potential as an early prognostic marker for diseases like prostate cancer, sudden cardiac arrest, and neurodegenerative disorders.
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