580 | id == 580
580 | category_id == 30
580 | category_order == 27
580 | category_name == Hair Loss
580 | category_color == #C47AC0
580 | slug == LRRC32-alopecia-areata
580 | title == Excessive Immune Cell Activity in Alopecia Areata (LRRC32)
580 | meta_description == LRRC32 promotes immune messenger activity. A variant of LRRC32 is linked to alopecia areata. Read more here.
580 | summary == <p style="text-align:justify"><strong>The <em>LRRC32</em> gene codes for a protein that promotes immune messenger activity. How might a variant of <em>LRRC32</em> lead to hair loss in alopecia areata? Read more to find out.</strong></p>
580 | overall_score_text == Your Hair Loss Score (based on LRRC32 gene)
580 | image == https://sd-selfdecode-assets-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/blog/background/LRRC32-Alopecia-areata.jpg
580 | author_id == 14
580 | author_name == Shany Lahan
580 | author_title == MS (Neuroscience)
580 | author_order == 5
580 | author_photo == https://sd-selfdecode-assets-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/blog/author-photo/Shany.webp
580 | 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>
580 | reviewer == None
580 | medical_reviewer_id == 11
580 | medical_reviewer_name == Puya Yazdi
580 | medical_reviewer_title == MD
580 | publish_date == 2020
580 | publish_date == 12
580 | publish_date == 30
580 | avg_rating == 5.0
580 | tags_id == 88
580 | tags_name == Alopecia Areata
580 | tags_id == 33
580 | tags_name == Autoimmunity
580 | tags_id == 1091
580 | tags_name == GARP
580 | tags_id == 1032
580 | tags_name == Hair Follicle
580 | tags_id == 1033
580 | tags_name == Hair Growth Cycle
580 | tags_id == 1029
580 | tags_name == Hair Loss
580 | tags_id == 253
580 | tags_name == IL-6
580 | tags_id == 24
580 | tags_name == Inflammation
580 | tags_id == 1090
580 | tags_name == LRRC32 Gene
580 | tags_id == 785
580 | tags_name == TGF-beta
580 | tags_id == 925
580 | tags_name == Th17
580 | tags_id == 104
580 | tags_name == Tregs
580 | permissions_favorite == False
580 | permissions_rate == False
580 | 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;">LRRC32 </span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">codes for GARP, a protein that promotes the development of pro-inflammatory immune cells by aiding in TGF-beta activation. A variant of </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">LRRC32 </span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">may play a role in alopecia areata by increasing the production of GARP and excessively activating TGF-beta. Lifestyle and supplement modifications may counteract the effects of this variant by decreasing TGF-beta activity.</span></span></p> <h2 style="text-align: justify;"><strong><em>LRRC32</em></strong><strong> and Alopecia Areata</strong></h2> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">The </span><a href="https://selfdecode.com/gene/lrrc32/"><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">LRRC32</span></em></a> <span style="font-weight: 400;">gene codes for GARP, a protein that promotes the activation of </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/tgf/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">TGF-beta</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. More specifically, GARP is found on the surfaces of </span><a href="https://selfhack.com/blog/treg/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">regulatory T cells</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> (</span><a href="https://selfhack.com/blog/treg/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Tregs</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">), where activation of TGF-beta has been shown to alter Treg activity [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/2615"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5173174/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28795730/"><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;">While Tregs are well-known for their ability to prevent inflammation and autoimmune (self-targeting) reactions, TGF-beta combined with </span><a href="https://selfhack.com/blog/interleukin-6/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">IL-6</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> may stimulate their conversion to pro-inflammatory </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/th17/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Th17</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> cells [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5877591/"><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 people with the autoimmune disorder </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">alopecia areata </span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">(spot baldness), TGF-beta and IL-6 are elevated, and the ratio of Th17 cells to Tregs is biased toward Th17. In fact, higher levels of Th17 immune messengers (cytokines) have been linked to increased severity of alopecia areata [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29283462/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6409873/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26077574/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30989699/"><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;">Furthermore, greater TGF-beta activity in hair follicles has been suggested to shorten hair growth cycles, ultimately leading to hair loss [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15194142/"><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;">A variant of </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">LRRC32 </span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">has been associated with alopecia areata. While the mechanism has not yet been elucidated, it&rsquo;s possible that this variant may increase the production of GARP, thereby inducing excessive activation of TGF-beta and promoting the development of Th17 cells</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">[</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4451186/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].&nbsp;</span></p> <h2 style="text-align: left;"><strong>Your </strong><strong><em>LRRC32 </em></strong><strong>Results for Alopecia Areata</strong></h2> <p style="text-align: justify;">*1354581450035321*</p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Primary SNP:</strong></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><strong><em>LRRC32 </em></strong><a href="https://selfdecode.com/snp/rs2155219/"><strong>rs2155219</strong></a> <span style="font-weight: 400;">[</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4451186/"><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 alopecia areata</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">&lsquo;G&rsquo; = Not associated with alopecia areata</span></li> </ul> <p style="text-align: justify;">*6824258698297259*</p> <h2 style="text-align: left;"><strong>Recommendations for Managing Alopecia Areata</strong></h2> <p style="text-align: justify;">*4861097905809233*</p> <h3 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Lifestyle</strong></h3> <h4 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Giving Up Smoking</strong></h4> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Cigarette smoke is well-known to increase levels of TGF-beta, suggesting that it may exacerbate the potentially negative effects of </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">LRRC32 </span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">risk variants [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30372878/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26934369/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29286114/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31612392/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30090492/"><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 large study in which 154 individuals developed alopecia areata, smoking was associated with an approximately 2-fold increased incidence of this condition. Cigarette smoke may cause oxidative and inflammatory damage in the hair follicles, and impair hair growth [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32761499/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12673073/"><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;">Cigarette smoke may worsen the effects of <em>LRRC32 </em>risk variants by increasing levels of TGF-beta. Avoiding cigarette smoke may prevent this increase.</span></p> <h3 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Supplements</strong></h3> <h4 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Vitamin D</strong></h4> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Multiple studies have demonstrated that </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/35proven-health-benefits-vitamin-d-part-1/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">vitamin D</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> may regulate the production of TGF-beta, as well as promote the conversion of Th17 cells to Tregs [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26485217/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25413472/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30465855/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31379807/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].&nbsp;</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Low blood vitamin D levels have been associated with increased incidence, severity, and duration of alopecia areata in multiple studies. <a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/avoiding-sun-will-kill-14-proven-science-based-health-benefits-sun/">Sunlight</a> exposure is our primary vitamin D source, but deficient people may need to take oral supplements [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25058999/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29633370/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29869122/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29243839/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31110371/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a>, <a href="https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminD-HealthProfessional/"><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 focused on alopecia areata patients, a synthetic derivative of vitamin D (calcipotriol) applied topically for 12 weeks resulted in a minimum of 50% hair regrowth in 75% of patients, and full regrowth in 27% of patients. Both this chemical and UV-B radiation (which stimulates vitamin D production) were similarly effective in another trial [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26091388/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31236672/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].&nbsp;</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: #e8ebfc; border-left: 2px solid #4569fa; display: block; padding: 20px;">Oral and topical vitamin D may help manage alopecia areata by decreasing TGF-beta production and promoting the conversion of Th17 cells to Tregs.</span></p> <h4 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Topical Garlic</strong></h4> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Multiple studies have observed that </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/garlic-health-benefits/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">garlic</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> may lower levels of TGF-beta and balance levels of Th17 cells / Tregs [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22835810/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31874367/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30714460/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30897500/"><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 randomized controlled trial of people with alopecia areata, a topical garlic gel applied twice daily for 3 months as an add-on to corticosteroids significantly improved hair regrowth [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17314444/"><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 garlic may help manage alopecia areata by decreasing TGF-beta production, decreasing the amount of Th17 cells, and increasing Treg levels. </span></p>
580 | content_snp_table_1354581450035321_key == 1354581450035321
580 | content_snp_table_1354581450035321_blur == True
580 | content_snp_table_1354581450035321_hidden == False
580 | content_learn_more_6824258698297259_key == 6824258698297259
580 | content_learn_more_6824258698297259_blur == True
580 | content_learn_more_6824258698297259_hidden == False
580 | content_learn_more_6824258698297259_text == Based on the variants we looked at, your LRRC32 gene makes you somewhat more likely to develop alopecia areata. However, this doesn't necessarily reflect your overall risk of alopecia areata; it’s just one gene related to it. Giving up smoking, applying topical vitamin D, and applying topical garlic may help. Keep scrolling to find out more.
580 | content_recommendation_4861097905809233_key == 4861097905809233
580 | content_recommendation_4861097905809233_blur == True
580 | content_recommendation_4861097905809233_hidden == False
rsIDs = rs2155219
rsStatus = rs2155219,,chr11,76588150,G,T,,,4,17,HET
