Detail of a Wenzel Hollar drawingWIKIMEDIA COMMONS, UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO WENCESLAUS HOLLAR DIGITAL COLLECTION
George Costanzas of the world take heart. Scientists claim that they’ve identified some of the genetic components that lead to male-pattern baldness, which affects 80 percent of men by age 70. The enzyme at the center of the discovery is prostaglandin D2 synthase (PTGDS). Reporting their findings in Science Translational Medicine, researchers led by University of Pennsylvania dermatologist George Cotsarelis found that levels of PTGDS—as well as levels of the enzyme's product, prostaglandin D2 (PGD2)—are elevated in areas of bald scalp compared to areas with hair in men with patterned baldness. They also found that a related gene, prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2 (Ptgs2), plays a role in baldness. Transgenic mice that lacked the gene had elevated levels of PGD2 and developed traits characteristic of male pattern ...
