The gene for male-pattern baldness (androgen receptor) has traditionally been linked to the X chromosome which means mom passes it on to her sons. Now, two new independent studies published yesterday at the Nature Genetics identified association between hair loss and chromosome 20.
A genome-wide association study (GWAS) for male-pattern baldness, or androgenetic alopecia, identified a new association at chromosome 20p11.22, between the PAX1 and FOXA2 genes, and confirmed a previous association with the gene encoding the androgen receptor in the X. Tim Spector and colleagues found that 1 in 7 men carry both the chromosome X and chromosome …read more