More on Hair Loss Gene Research




all gone

Genetic hair loss is a widely spread condition - in fact, every second man, as well as many women, tend to suffer from inherited baldness. First, the hairlines start receding, then the crown becomes thinner, until victims of genetic androgenic alopecia lose most of their scalp hair. Unfortunately, even the best hair-loss medications and herbal tinctures are unable to stop the progression of gene-induced baldness.

Hereditary influences have long been known to affect the fall of hair. However, only now scientists have started discovering how certain genes are involved in the development of alopecia. A team of researchers of the Bonn and Düsseldorf University Clinics, led by Dr. Markus Nöthen, have recently made a new breakthrough shedding light on previously unknown mechanisms of genetic baldness.

The researchers looked at numerous cases of male pattern baldness that had a tendency to run in families. When examining the blood samples of balding volunteers, they identified several promising areas on the chromosomes which might be involved in hereditary hair loss. One of such areas may contain a specific gene responsible for the functions of the hair-destroying androgen receptor. If this gene is precisely identified, scientists will be given a tangible weapon to successfully fight genetically induced alopecia.

The baldness-causing gene is believed to trigger the formation of multiple androgen receptors in the scalp of men predisposed to hereditary alopecia. As a result, the androgens gradually invade bigger areas of the scalp, destroying healthy hair follicles and bringing about a massive loss of hair.

The researchers also revealed that the suspected gene was located in the area of the X chromosome, which shows that genetic alopecia is inherited mostly from the maternal line. Since, in men, the X chromosome always comes from the side of the mother, men should look at the locks of their grandfather from the maternal side in order to predict how likely they are to become bald. However, the mechanism of hereditary hair loss is not so simple and can be guided by numerous genes coming from both lines in the family, instead of just one.

More research is needed in order to single out the exact sets of genes involved in the development of male baldness, and the German scientists plan to continue their quest for the answers.

Bob Keller

Related Posts


Posted on April 5, 2008 
Filed Under Hair Loss, Hair Loss News and Statistics, Hair Loss Reasons

Comments

Leave a Reply