570 | id == 570
570 | category_id == 30
570 | category_order == 27
570 | category_name == Hair Loss
570 | category_color == #C47AC0
570 | slug == ALX4-male-pattern-baldness
570 | title == Complex Protein Interactions in Male-Pattern Baldness (ALX4)
570 | meta_description == ALX4 helps regulate hair growth. Variants of ALX4 have been associated with male-pattern baldness. Read more here.
570 | summary == <p style="text-align:justify"><strong>ALX4 may help regulate hair growth by interacting with a Wnt signaling protein. Read more to find out how <em>ALX4</em> variants may promote the development of male-pattern baldness, and how you may be able to counter their negative effects.&nbsp;</strong><br />  &nbsp;</p>
570 | overall_score_text == Your Hair Loss Score (based on ALX4 gene)
570 | image == https://sd-selfdecode-assets-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/blog/background/ALX4-Male-pattern-baldness.jpg
570 | author_id == 14
570 | author_name == Shany Lahan
570 | author_title == MS (Neuroscience)
570 | author_order == 5
570 | author_photo == https://sd-selfdecode-assets-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/blog/author-photo/Shany.webp
570 | author_intro == <p>Shany received her MSc in Neuroscience from Western University.</p>    <p>Prior to joining SelfDecode, Shany conducted research related to Alzheimer&rsquo;s disease, and taught science to undergraduate students. She believes that research should be accessible to everyone, regardless of scientific background. Shany joined SelfDecode&nbsp;with a mission to help others optimize their health and wellbeing &ndash; as well as help them understand the science behind it all.</p>
570 | reviewer == None
570 | medical_reviewer_id == 11
570 | medical_reviewer_name == Puya Yazdi
570 | medical_reviewer_title == MD
570 | publish_date == 2020
570 | publish_date == 12
570 | publish_date == 23
570 | avg_rating == 5.0
570 | tags_id == 1078
570 | tags_name == ALX4 Gene
570 | tags_id == 1080
570 | tags_name == Frontonasal Dysplasia
570 | tags_id == 1079
570 | tags_name == Frontonasal Dysplasia Type 2
570 | tags_id == 1032
570 | tags_name == Hair Follicle
570 | tags_id == 1033
570 | tags_name == Hair Growth Cycle
570 | tags_id == 1029
570 | tags_name == Hair Loss
570 | tags_id == 1046
570 | tags_name == LEF-1
570 | tags_id == 1028
570 | tags_name == Male-Pattern Baldness
570 | tags_id == 1049
570 | tags_name == Wnt
570 | tags_id == 1031
570 | tags_name == Wnt Signalling
570 | permissions_favorite == False
570 | permissions_rate == False
570 | content_article == <h2 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Summary</strong></h2> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: #e8ebfc; border-left: 2px solid #4569fa; display: block; padding: 20px;"><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">ALX4 </span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">codes for a protein that may promote hair growth by interacting with LEF-1, a component of the Wnt signaling pathway. Variants of </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">ALX4 </span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">may play a role in male-pattern baldness by dysregulating ALX4 and LEF-1. Lifestyle and supplement modifications may counteract the effects of these variants by boosting the Wnt signaling pathway.&nbsp;</span></span></p> <h2 style="text-align: justify;"><strong><em>ALX4</em></strong><strong> and Male-Pattern Baldness</strong></h2> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">The </span><a href="https://selfdecode.com/gene/alx4/"><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">ALX4</span></em></a> <span style="font-weight: 400;">gene codes for ALX homeobox 4 (ALX4), a protein that turns genes on or off [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/60529"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">In hair follicles, the function of ALX4 may be potentiated by LEF-1. LEF-1 is a component of the </span><a href="https://selfdecode.com/blog/article/WNT10A-baldness-550/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Wnt signaling pathway</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, which is considered essential for the development of hair follicles and the progression of hair growth cycles [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16892173/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11696550/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11371349/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Indeed, mutations in </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">ALX4 </span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">have been linked to a rare disorder called </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">frontonasal dysplasia type 2</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">, characterized by hair loss and abnormal development of the head and face. These mutations have been suggested to produce a dysfunctional ALX4 protein [</span><a href="https://medlineplus.gov/genetics/condition/frontonasal-dysplasia/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29681084/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19692347/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">However, one study has suggested that the interaction between ALX4 and LEF-1 must remain dynamic. In this study, elevated levels of ALX4 or excess ALX4 activity (mediated by LEF-1) lowered the production of a protein that may help promote normal hair cycle progression [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11696550/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9347798/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Variants of </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">ALX4 </span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">have been associated with male-pattern baldness. These variants may dysregulate ALX4 and LEF-1, resulting in dysfunctional Wnt signaling and perturbed hair growth [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25826379/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5207801/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5691155/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms14694"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-018-07862-y"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosgenetics/article?id=10.1371/journal.pgen.1006594"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <h2 style="text-align: left;"><strong>Your </strong><strong><em>ALX4</em></strong><strong> Results for Male-Pattern Baldness</strong></h2> <p style="text-align: justify;">*4868852124995650*</p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Primary SNP:</strong></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><strong><em>ALX4 </em></strong><a href="https://selfdecode.com/snp/rs922017/"><strong>rs922017</strong></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25826379/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">]</span></p> <ul style="text-align: justify;"> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">&lsquo;T&rsquo; = Higher odds of male-pattern baldness, relative to &lsquo;C&rsquo;</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">&lsquo;C&rsquo; = Lower odds of male-pattern baldness, relative to &lsquo;T&rsquo;&nbsp;</span></li> </ul> <p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Other Important SNPs:</strong></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><strong><em>ALX4 </em></strong><a href="https://selfdecode.com/snp/rs11037975/"><strong>rs11037975</strong></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25826379/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5207801/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5691155/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms14694"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-018-07862-y"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">]</span></p> <ul style="text-align: justify;"> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">&lsquo;C&rsquo; = Higher odds of male-pattern baldness, relative to &lsquo;G&rsquo;</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">&lsquo;G&rsquo; = Lower odds of male-pattern baldness, relative to &lsquo;C&rsquo;&nbsp;</span></li> </ul> <p style="text-align: justify;"><strong><em>ALX4 </em></strong><a href="https://selfdecode.com/snp/rs2863081/"><strong>rs2863081</strong></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25826379/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosgenetics/article?id=10.1371/journal.pgen.1006594"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">]</span></p> <ul style="text-align: justify;"> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">&lsquo;A&rsquo; = Higher odds of male-pattern baldness</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">&lsquo;G&rsquo; = Not associated with male-pattern baldness&nbsp;</span></li> </ul> <p style="text-align: justify;">*3066642499781857*</p> <h2 style="text-align: left;"><strong>Recommendations for Managing Male-Pattern Baldness</strong></h2> <p style="text-align: justify;">*8955799117272125*</p> <h3 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Lifestyle</strong></h3> <h4 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Low-Level Laser Therapy</strong></h4> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Low-level laser therapy (</span><a href="http://selfhacked.com/blog/my-review-of-lllt/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">LLLT</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">) is the application of low-power lasers to the surface of the body. It seems to stimulate the production of nitric oxide and free radicals, both of which act as messenger molecules to trigger physiological responses such as hair growth [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33111207/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">In studies of human hair follicles and hair follicle cells, LLLT was reported to promote hair growth by increasing Wnt signaling pathway activity. This suggests that LLLT may help counter the negative effects of </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">ALX4 </span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">risk variants [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28944964/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29468283/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">The FDA approved this technique for male-pattern baldness in 2007. Meta-analyses of 11 different placebo-controlled trials suggest that LLLT may improve hair growth and density, both alone and in combination with conventional treatments. However, they warned that larger studies with longer follow-up periods and independent sources of funding are required to confirm these results [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29270707/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29286826/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30706177/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: #e8ebfc; border-left: 2px solid #4569fa; display: block; padding: 20px;">Low-level laser therapy may help manage male-pattern baldness by stimulating the Wnt signaling pathway.</span></p> <h3 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Supplements</strong></h3> <h4 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Adenosine</strong></h4> <p style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/adenosine-health-effects/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Adenosine</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> was found to promote hair growth, in part by stimulating a co-activator of the Wnt signaling pathway [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22020741/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Topical adenosine applied for 6 months increased the proportion of thick hair in two trials of men with male-pattern baldness [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25925959/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26508659/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">In another trial of men with male-pattern baldness, a topical solution with 0.75% adenosine was as effective as minoxidil (a conventional medication) at recovering hair growth. Moreover, patients were more satisfied with adenosine because they perceived faster reduction of hair loss and growth of new hairs [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24183218/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: #e8ebfc; border-left: 2px solid #4569fa; display: block; padding: 20px;">Topical adenosine may help manage male-pattern baldness by stimulating the Wnt signaling pathway.</span></p> <h4 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Rice Bran</strong></h4> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Topical rice bran mineral extract was suggested to stimulate hair growth by activating the Wnt signaling pathway [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5727428/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">In a trial of men with male-pattern baldness, rice bran extract applied to the scalp for 16 weeks increased hair density and diameter [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26632177/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">This extract, especially its active components linoleic acid and gamma-oryzanol, induced hair growth and the development of hair follicles in mice [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24389480/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: #e8ebfc; border-left: 2px solid #4569fa; display: block; padding: 20px;">Topical rice bran may help manage male-pattern baldness by stimulating the Wnt signaling pathway.</span></p>
570 | content_snp_table_4868852124995650_key == 4868852124995650
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570 | content_snp_table_4868852124995650_hidden == False
570 | content_learn_more_3066642499781857_key == 3066642499781857
570 | content_learn_more_3066642499781857_blur == True
570 | content_learn_more_3066642499781857_hidden == False
570 | content_learn_more_3066642499781857_text == Based on the variants we looked at, your ALX4 gene is associated with somewhat higher odds of male-pattern baldness, relative to other variants. However, this doesn't necessarily reflect your overall risk of male-pattern baldness; it’s just one gene related to it. Low-level laser therapy, topical adenosine, and topical rice bran may help. Keep scrolling to find out more.
570 | content_recommendation_8955799117272125_key == 8955799117272125
570 | content_recommendation_8955799117272125_blur == True
570 | content_recommendation_8955799117272125_hidden == False
rsIDs = rs2863081,rs922017,rs11037975
rsStatus = rs2863081,,chr11,44410257,G,A,T,,4,25,HET
rsStatus = rs922017,,chr11,44376481,T,A,C,,39,0,Normal
rsStatus = rs11037975,,chr11,44389312,C,A,G,T,26,0,Normal
