The Polygenic Architecture of Human Diseases Affecting the Hair Follicle.

Disorders affecting the hair follicle (HF) and pilosebaceous unit impose psychosocial and financial burdens on patients and may signal risk for other medical conditions. Human genetic studies help to identify key physiological mechanisms that govern health and are increasingly used to improve drug development. GWASs identify genetic variants that are common in the population and implicate disease mechanisms that are widely shared among patients. In this study, we synthesize knowledge about the biology of the pilosebaceous unit that has been derived from GWASs of hair-related diseases. We identify the key genetic drivers and reveal fundamental biological themes that cut across diseases to identify crucial regulators of HF health.