Mapping Genes Involved in Human Hereditary Skin Disorders: Linkage Analysis in Some Alopecia Families in Pakistan

Hair loss (alopecia) affects men and women of all ages and often significantly affects social and psychologic well-being. Congenital alopecia may occur either alone or in association with ectodermal and other abnormalities. Present study involves genetic mapping in three consanguineous Pakistani families with autosomal recessive alopecia. To establish linkage of these five families to known alopecia loci, microsatellite markers were selected from the candidate regions of each of the five known loci and used to genotype the families.