Table_1_Adipose transcriptome in the scalp of androgenetic alopecia.DOCX

Previous studies have shown how adipocytes can modulate the activity of hair follicle stem cells. However, the role of adipocytes in the pathogenesis of androgenetic alopecia (AGA) remains unknown. We aimed to determine signaling pathways related to the adipose tissue changes in the human scalp with AGA through RNA-seq analysis. RNA was isolated from the adipose tissues derived from the bald (frontal) and normal (occipital) scalps of male patients with AGA (n = 4). The pooled RNA extracts from these samples were subjected to RNA sequencing, followed by differential gene expression and pathway analysis. Our gene expression analysis identified 1,060 differentially expressed genes, including 522 upregulated and 538 downregulated genes in the bald AGA scalp. Biological pathways pertaining to either adipose tissue metabolism or the hair cycle were generated in our pathway analysis. Downregulation of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) signaling pathway was noted to be significant in the bald scalp. Expression of adipogenic markers (e.g., PPARG, FABP4, PLN1, and ADIPOQ) was also decreased in the bald site. These findings imply that adipogenesis becomes downregulated in AGA, specifically within the bald scalp adipose. Our results lead to the hypothesis that PPARγ-mediated adipogenesis in the scalp adipose, via crosstalk with signaling pathways involved in hair cycling, might play a role in AGA.

既往研究表明，脂肪细胞能够调节毛囊干细胞的活性。然而，脂肪细胞在雄激素性脱发（AGA）发病机制中的作用尚不明确。本研究旨在通过RNA测序分析确定与人类头皮AGA脂肪组织变化相关的信号通路。我们从AGA患者（n = 4）的秃发（额部）和正常（枕部）头皮中分离出脂肪组织RNA。将这些样本的RNA提取物混合后进行RNA测序，随后进行差异基因表达和通路分析。我们的基因表达分析鉴定出1,060个差异表达基因，包括在秃发AGA头皮中上调的522个基因和下调的538个基因。我们的通路分析生成了与脂肪组织代谢或毛发周期相关的生物通路。观察到在秃发头皮中过氧化物酶体增殖物激活受体（PPAR）信号通路下调具有统计学意义。脂肪生成标记物（例如，PPARG、FABP4、PLN1和ADIPOQ）的表达在秃发部位也降低。这些发现表明，在AGA中，特别是在秃发头皮脂肪中，脂肪生成下调。我们的结果导致以下假设：通过与参与毛发周期信号通路的交互作用，头皮脂肪中的PPARγ介导的脂肪生成可能在AGA中发挥作用。