Different gene expression profile observed in dermal papilla cells related to androgenic alopecia by DNA macroarray analysis.

Midorikawa T, Chikazawa T, Yoshino T, Takada K, Arase S.

Biological Science Research Center, Lion Corporation, Odawara City, 100 Tajima Odawara, Kanagawa 256-0811, Japan.

BACKGROUND:

Androgenic alopecia (AGA) is the most common type of baldness in men. Although etiological studies have proved that androgen is one of the causes of this symptom, the defined molecular mechanism underlying androgen-related actions remains largely unknown.

OBJECTIVES:

To clarify the difference in the gene expression profile of dermal papilla cells (DPCs) in skin affected by baldness.

METHODS:

DNA macroarray study was carried out on cultured DPCs from AGA skin comparing with DPCs from skin that is not affected by baldness.

RESULTS:

From DNA macroarray analysis, we observed that 107 of the 1185 analyzed genes had differing expression levels. A marked difference was observed in the decreased gene expression of BMP2 and ephrin A3 and up-regulated in NT-4 gene.

In order to clarify the roles of BMP2 and ephrin A3 in the hair follicles, we examined the proliferation of hair follicle keratinocyte and expression of a hair acidic keratin gene.

Both BMP2 and ephrin A3 raised the proliferation rate of the outer root sheath cells (ORSCs) and induced gene expression in acidic hair keratin 3-II. Conclusion:

These results lead us to the hypothesis that both BMP2 and ephrin A3 function as hair growth promoting factors in the hair cycle.