Differential expression analysis of balding and non-balding dermal papilla miRNAs in Male Pattern Baldness with mRAP method

  • Hamed Goodarzi, Department of Medical genetics,Tehran university of Medical Sciences, Iran

Male Pattern Baldness (MPB) or androgenetic alopecia is a common form of hair loss with androgens and genetics having etiological significance. Androgens are thought to pathophysiologically power on cascades of chronically dramatic alterations in genetically susceptible dermal papillas, specialized cells in hair follicles in which androgens react, and finally resulting in a patterned alopecia .However, the exact mechanisms through which androgens, positive regulators of growth and anabolism in most body sites, paradoxically exert their effects on balding hair follicles, are not yet known. The role of microRNAs, a recently discovered class of non-coding RNAs, with a wide range of regulatory functions in different biological and cellular processes, has been documented in hair follicle formation and their deregulation in cancer of prostate, a target organ of androgens, has also been delineated. Due to lack of knowledge in agreement with their probable contribution in pathophysiology of MPB, we initially screened microRNA expression profiles of balding and non-balding hair follicle papillas with a sensitive microRNA cloning method, mRAP (microRNA Amplification Profiling) and analyzed statistically significant differentially expressed microRNAs in balding relative to non-balding dermal papillas with Real Time PCR as a confirmatory expression quantitation method in 8different individuals affected with the disorder. We detected the significant upregulation of miR-221, miR-125b, miR-106b and miR-410 in balding papilla cells. In conclusion, we found for the first time 4 microRNAs that could participate in pathogenesis of MPB .Regarding microRNAs’ strong therapeutic potential and easy accessibility of hair follicles for gene therapy, microRNAs can be considered as good candidates for a new revolutionized generation of treatments.