Prioritizing Susceptibility Genes for the Prognosis of Male-Pattern Baldness With Transcriptome-Wide Association Study

April 2024 in “ Human genomics ”

Eun‐Young Choi, Jaeseung Song, Yubin Lee, Yun Hee Jeong, Wonhee Jang

male-pattern baldness MPB transcriptome-wide association study TWAS genetic associations causality genes tissue-specific enrichment adipose tissue blood/immune tissue musculoskeletal/connective tissue functional enrichment phenome-wide association studies PheWAS biological processes curcumin succinic acid

Studysummary This study identified MPB susceptibility genes and potential drug candidates that may help uncover molecular mechanisms and address male-pattern baldness. Our plain-language summary of this paper — not a Tressless recommendation.

This study on male-pattern baldness (MPB) used a transcriptome-wide association study (TWAS) to identify genetic associations and potential causality genes for different MPB types, analyzing data from 176,380 individuals of European ancestry. The study identified 10, 11, and 54 putative causality genes for MPB types 2, 3, and 4, respectively. Tissue-specific enrichment analysis revealed significant associations in various tissues, including adipose, blood/immune, and musculoskeletal/connective tissues. Functional enrichment and phenome-wide association studies (PheWAS) explored biological processes and traits linked to MPB-associated genes. The study also identified potential drug candidates, such as curcumin and succinic acid, for treating MPB, providing new insights into the genetic mechanisms and potential therapeutic targets for MPB.

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