Pointed hairline

Pointed hairline in a woman ( Theresia Bauer )

Pointed hairline on a man ( Paul Ryan )

A pointed hairline ( engl. Widow's peak , literally translated as "widow tip") is a descending V-shaped area in the center of the hairline of the forehead above.

The characteristic of the pointed hairline is inherited as an autosomal - dominant trait. The allele "pointed hairline" dominates the allele "straight hairline".

The English name Widow's peak is probably based on the shape of a cap (biquoquet) worn by widows in the 16th century . In the English-speaking world, this term is used for both genders.

Syndromes associated with a pointy hairline

While in most cases a pointed hairline is a completely normal genetic trait such as red hair or attached earlobes , some very rare hereditary diseases are associated with the "pointed hairline" phenotype . So there is an obvious relationship between hypertelorism (large eye relief) and a pointed hairline.

In the following syndromes, which are also associated with hypertelorism , the "pointed hairline" phenotype is often developed:

• The Aarskog Scott syndrome ( X-linked - recessive , sometimes autosomal recessive)
• The cranio-fronto-nasal dysplasia (CFNS), (X-linked dominant genetic locus Xq12)
• The fronto-nasal dysplasia (sporadic mutations)
• The Waardenburg syndrome (WS 1) (autosomal dominant gene locus 2q35)
• The recessive form of the facio-genito-digital syndrome (mostly X-linked)
• The Opitz BBB / G syndrome (autosomal dominant and X-linked recessive)
• The Widow's-peak syndrome (X-linked dominant)

literature

• IN Tiwari and RK Sandhir: Widow's peak anomaly with alopecia. In: Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery 80, 1987, pp. 473-474. PMID 3628586

Web links

• Understanding Genetics (Engl.)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Roxanne Roberts, Amy Argetsinger: Paul Ryan's widow's peak: A game-changer in GOP veepstakes? In: Washington Post. April 6, 2012, accessed February 18, 2020 . 
2. ↑ www.websters-online-dictionary.org  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. accessed on October 2, 2008  
3. ↑ AM Winchester: Genetics. Houghton Mifflin Co., 2nd Edition, 1958, p. 359.
4. ↑ M. Livingston: Crash Course Genetics. In: Neue Zürcher Zeitung 09, 2000.
5. ↑ J. Jadassohn et al.: Handbook of skin and sexually transmitted diseases. German Dermatological Society, Springer, 1933.
6. ↑ D. Lennox: Now You Know. Dundurn Press Ltd., 2003, ISBN 1-55002-648-8 , p. 112.
7. ↑ Wordsmith.Org: widow's peak
8. ↑ Pointed hairline.  In: Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man . (English).
9. ^ DW Smith, MM Cohen: Widow's peak scalp-hair anomaly and its relation to ocular hypertelorism. In: The Lancet 2, 1973, pp. 1127-1128. PMID 4128017
10. ^ P. Berman et al .: The inheritance of the Aarskog facial-digital-genital syndrome. In: J. Pediat. 86, 1974, pp. 885-891. PMID 1127528
11. ↑ FACIOGENITAL DYSPLASIA.  In: Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man . (English).
12. ↑ Orpha.net: Aarskog-Scott Syndrome
13. ↑ CRANIOFRONTONASAL SYNDROME; CFNS.  In: Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man . (English).
14. ↑ Orpha.net: dysplasia, cranio-fronto-nasal
15. ↑ Orpha.net: dysplasia fronto
16. ↑ FRONTONASAL DYSPLASIA.  In: Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man . (English).
17. ↑ WAARDENBURG SYNDROME, TYPE I; WS1.  In: Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man . (English).
18. ↑ Orpha.net: Waardenburg syndrome type 1
19. ↑ FACIODIGITOGENITAL SYNDROME, RECESSIVE.  In: Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man . (English).
20. ↑ Orpha.net: Fazio-genito-digital syndrome, recessive form
21. ↑ HYPERTELORISM WITH ESOPHAGEAL ABNORMALITY AND HYPOSPADIAS.  In: Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man . (English).
22. ↑ WIDOW'S PEAK SYNDROME.  In: Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man . (English).
23. ↑ BJ LaDine et al .: Syndrome of short stature, widow's peak, ptosis, posteriorly angulated ears, and joint problems: exclusion of the Aarskog (FGD1) gene as a candidate gene. In: Am. J. Med. Genet. 99, 2001, pp. 248-251. PMID 11241498

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