Alopecia universalis associated with a mutation in the human hairless gene

Science. 1998 Jan 30;279(5351):720-4. doi: 10.1126/science.279.5351.720.

Abstract

There are several forms of hereditary human hair loss, known collectively as alopecias, the molecular bases of which are entirely unknown. A kindred with a rare, recessively inherited type of alopecia universalis was used to search for a locus by homozygosity mapping, and linkage was established in a 6-centimorgan interval on chromosome 8p12 (the logarithm of the odds favoring linkage score was 6.19). The human homolog of a murine gene, hairless, was localized in this interval by radiation hybrid mapping, and a missense mutation was found in affected individuals. Human hairless encodes a putative single zinc finger transcription factor protein with restricted expression in the brain and skin.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Alopecia / genetics*
  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Animals
  • Brain / metabolism
  • Chromosome Mapping
  • Chromosomes, Human, Pair 8
  • DNA-Binding Proteins / genetics
  • Female
  • Forkhead Transcription Factors
  • Gene Expression
  • Genes, Recessive
  • Homozygote
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Mice
  • Mice, Hairless / genetics
  • Microsatellite Repeats
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Mutation
  • Pedigree
  • Proteins / chemistry
  • Proteins / genetics*
  • Rats
  • Sequence Analysis, DNA
  • Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
  • Skin / metabolism
  • Transcription Factors / genetics
  • Zinc Fingers*

Substances

  • DNA-Binding Proteins
  • Forkhead Transcription Factors
  • HR protein, human
  • Proteins
  • Transcription Factors
  • Whn protein
  • hr protein, mouse
  • hr protein, rat

Associated data

  • GENBANK/AF039196