This Month in the Journal

In this issue, several studies were highlighted, including research by Hillmer et al. that identified the androgen receptor (AR) gene as a major determinant of male-pattern baldness, with a strong association found in a 1-Mb region on the X chromosome. Wang et al. demonstrated how mouse-human comparative genetics could identify human genes linked to atherosclerosis, successfully associating the TNFSF4 gene with heart disease risk. Zeng et al. discovered mutations in the SLC19A3 gene causing biotin-responsive basal ganglia disease (BBGD), suggesting it encodes a biotin transporter. Schwartz et al. identified MCT8 mutations in Allan-Herndon-Dudley syndrome, linking it to thyroid-hormone transport. Sharp et al. explored segmental duplications, finding 119 regions of copy-number polymorphism, supporting their role in genetic variation.