Researchers at the University of Tartu, the University of Helsinki, and other centers describe acne vulgaris-associated loci found in Wnt and MAP kinase signaling pathways for a paper appearing in the European Journal of Human Genetics. With genome-wide association study and GWAS meta-analyses involving more than 34,400 acne vulgaris-affected individuals and nearly 365,000 unaffected controls, the team focused in on 19 loci with known genome-wide significant ties to acne vulgaris, along with four loci not linked previously to the chronic skin condition. Along with efforts to establish a polygenic risk score for the condition, the authors performed follow-up analyses aimed at understanding the pathways and processes involved in it. "The identification of novel acne susceptibility genes belonging to [the] Wnt-signaling pathway, known as a determinant of stem and progenitor cell differentiation during hair follicle morphogenesis and regeneration, emphasizes the imbalanced [sebaceous gland] homeostasis in acne pathogenesis," they suggest, noting that risk loci overlap with lipid metabolism enzymes "emphasizes the conception of acne being etiologically linked to other metabolic disease."