Alopecia areata bulbs show significant transcriptional abnormalities before, during and after active hair loss.

Abstract

Alopecia areata (AA) is a common relapsing, remitting hair loss disorder of unknown aetiology. Hair follicle bulbs in the anagen growth phase are the primary site of autoimmune attack. Indeed, the histological hallmark of AA is a T cell infiltrate surrounding the anagen hair bulb resembling a "swarm of bees". However, previous studies of gene expression in AA have mainly examined patient serum or bulk tissue rather than targeting the hair bulb.