Hair follicles from alopecia areata patients exhibit alterations in immune privilege-associated gene expression in advance of hair loss.

摘要

Alopecia areata (AA) is a putative autoimmune hair loss disease. Anagen-stage hair follicles may have immune privilege (Billingham and Silvers, 1971) comprising downregulation of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class 1 and II and production of immunoregu-latory agents (Paus etal., 2003, 2005; Ito et ai, 2004). Of several hypotheses for AA pathogenesis (McElwee et al, 2002; Gilhar etal., 2007), one suggests that AA is a consequence of immune privilege collapse (Paus et ai, 2003; Ito et ai, 2004). Although immunohistological studies on immune privilege in AA have been performed (McDonagh ef ai, 1993; Ito et al, 2004), expression has not been objectively quantified and some immune privilege factors have not been investigated.