The genetics of alopecia areata
2001; Elsevier BV; Volume: 19; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1016/s0738-081x(00)00124-3
ISSN1879-1131
AutoresMadeleine Duvic, Ashley Nelson, Marisa de Andrade,
Tópico(s)melanin and skin pigmentation
ResumoAlthough the inheritance of alopecia areata (AA) is not definitively known, there is increasing consensus that it is an organ-specific autoimmune disease directed against the hair follicle. The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) on chromosome 6p21 that encodes surface proteins for self-recognition is now recognized as a major contributing factor for susceptibility to autoimmune diseases.1–5 Polymorphic amino acid residues that may be shared by several class 2 alleles (shared epitopes) may confer susceptibility to rheumatoid arthritis, type I diabetes mellitus, and pemphigus vulgaris.1,2,6 AA, with a wide spectrum of disease severity, manifests in individuals with a genetic predisposition and who, additionally, are exposed to some environmental trigger(s). In humans and in animal models, autoimmune diseases appear to be multigenic and require several genes acting in concert; however, segregation analyses in families with the trait of autoimmunity have suggested the presence of a dominant gene not linked to the MHC. The gene frequency of the “autoimmune” trait was determined to be approximately 0.11.3
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