Primary Cicatricial Alopecias Are Characterized by Dysregulation of Shared Gene Expression Pathways

July 2022 in “ PNAS Nexus ”

Eddy H.C. Wang, Isha Monga, B. Sallee, James C. Chen, A.R. Abdelaziz, Rolando Pérez‐Lorenzo, Lindsey A. Bordone, Angela M. Christiano

primary cicatricial alopecias lichen planopilaris frontal fibrosing alopecia centrifugal cicatricial alopecia mast cell genes cholesterogenic pathways fibrosis immune signaling genes

TLDR Similar treatments might work for different types of scarring hair loss.

The study investigated primary cicatricial alopecias (PCAs), a group of inflammatory hair loss disorders, by analyzing scalp biopsies from a large cohort of PCA patients. It identified a common gene expression signature shared among the PCA subtypes lichen planopilaris (LPP), frontal fibrosing alopecia (FFA), and centrifugal cicatricial alopecia (CCCA). This signature included an over-representation of mast cell (MC) genes, downregulation of cholesterogenic pathways, and upregulation of fibrosis and immune signaling genes. The findings suggested that these subtypes have indistinguishable gene expression profiles and immune cell signatures, indicating that similar treatment regimens might be effective for these irreversible hair loss conditions.

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