Relazione tra Il gene ODC e alopecia androgenetica

[Lottatore]

Queste ricerche provano che finanziando meglio il campo della ricerca, l'alopecia androgenetica potrebbe arrivare in breve al breakthrough decisivo.

 

Spesso il problema di base, cioe' l'identificazione di tutti i geni conivolti nel processo della a.a., viene tralasciato dall'attenzione della comunita' internazionale perche' reputato impossibile da risolvere.

 

Questo studio sembra confermare il quadro di polimorfismo genico, cioe' piu' geni contribuiscono alla malattia. Il gene ODC ( Ornithine decarboxylase gene ) e' l'oggetto di quaesto studio, il quale sembrerebbe confermare il coinvolgimento dello stesso.

 

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Abstract TITLE: Ornithine decarboxylase gene polymorphism and male androgenetic alopecia AUTHORS (ALL): Garton, Rachel Avery1; Sugarman, Joel 1; Benushkova, Katrina 1; McMichael, Amy J1; Setaluri, Vijayasaradhi 1 INSTITUTIONS (ALL): 1. Department of Dermatology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine , Winston-Salem, NC, USA;

 

ABSTRACT BODY: Abstract Body: Androgenetic alopecia (AGA) is the most common form of hair loss in men affecting at least 50% of adult men over age 50. The mechanisms underlying AGA and its inheritance pattern are largely unknown. A variety of gene products critical for hair morphogenesis and growth cycles have been identified. These include transforming growth factor-beta, bone morphogenic proteins, steroid 5-alpha reductase and ornithine decarboxylase (ODC). We studied the pattern of expression of these genes in AGA. Biopsies were obtained from affected and unaffected areas of scalp from men with AGA and the gene expression was analyzed by RT-PCR. We found that in balding scalp the expression of ODC mRNA was lower compared to nonbalding scalp. Given that inhibition of ODC activity is currently being used a strategy to treat hirsutism, we investigated the possible mechanisms for the reduced ODC gene expression in AGA. In human there are two alleles of ODC, which differ by a single nucleotide polymorphism in intron 1 within the c-myc binding E box. This polymorphism in the enhancer region results in differences in ODC mRNA expression. More than 50% of Caucasian individuals are reported to be homozygous for the weak allele. We hypothesized that the allele associated with increased expression of ODC would be more common in men without AGA. Blood samples were collected from men ages 18 and older with varying degrees of hair loss, ranging from no loss to significant balding. Genomic PCR and restriction fragment length polymorphism assay was used to ascertain their ODC genotype. The distribution of the ODC alleles in the 44 individuals we analyzed was similar to that reported in general population. We found that whereas the weak allele is found more commonly in balding men, the allele associated with increased expression of ODC is significantly more common in men without hair loss. Our data suggest that polymorphism of the ODC gene is associated with male pattern baldness.