Searching for a major locus for male pattern baldness (MPB)
- Washington Univ. School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO (United States)
Male pattern baldness (MPB) is a common trait in post-pubertal males. Approximately 50% of adult males present some degree of MPB by age 50. According to the classification provided by Hamilton in 1951 and modified by Norwood in 1975, the trait itself is a continuum that ranges from mild (Type I) to severe (Type VII) cases. In addition, there is extensive variability for the age of onset. The role of androgens in allowing the expression of this trait in males has been well established. This phenotype is uncommonly expressed in females. The high prevalence of the trait, the distribution of MPB as a continuous trait, and several non-allelic mutations identified in the mouse capable of affecting hair pattern, suggest that MPB is genetically heterogeneous. In order to reduce the probability of multiple non-allelic MPB genes within a pedigree, we selected 9 families in which MPB appears to segregate exclusively through the paternal lineage as compared to bilineal pedigrees. There are 32 males expressing this phenotype and females are treated as phenotype unknown. In general, affected individuals expressed the trait before 30 years of age with a severity of at least Type III or IV. We assumed an autosomal dominant model, with a gene frequency of 1/20 for the affected allele, and 90% penetrance. Simulation studies using the SLINK program with these pedigrees showed that these families would be sufficient to detect linkage under the assumption of a single major locus. If heterogeneity is present, the current resource does not have sufficient power to detect linkage at a statistically significant level, although candidate regions of the genome could be identified for further studies with additional pedigrees. Using 53 highly informative microsatellite markers, and a subset of 7 families, we have screened 30% of the genome. This search included several regions where candidate genes for MPB are located.
- OSTI ID:
- 134676
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-941009-; ISSN 0002-9297; TRN: 95:005313-1413
- Journal Information:
- American Journal of Human Genetics, Vol. 55, Issue Suppl.3; Conference: 44. annual meeting of the American Society of Human Genetics, Montreal (Canada), 18-22 Oct 1994; Other Information: PBD: Sep 1994
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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BASIC STUDIES
99 MATHEMATICS
COMPUTERS
INFORMATION SCIENCE
MANAGEMENT
LAW
MISCELLANEOUS
PATIENTS
HEREDITARY DISEASES
PHENOTYPE
SKIN DISEASES
GENETICS
COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION
GENES
GENETIC MAPPING
AGE DEPENDENCE
DOMINANT MUTATIONS
BIOLOGICAL MARKERS
STATISTICS
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