ttp://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/14/science/14qna.html?ex=1097467200&en=98371fe9c3e86f39&ei=5070 Genes and Baldness
Q. Is male-pattern baldness inherited through the mother?
A. It was long thought that inheritance of male-pattern baldness was a
fairly simple matter involving a single unidentified dominant gene, and
many assumed it was passed on by the mother on the X chromosome. A copy
of the form of the gene that predisposes to baldness was thought to mean
a man would lose hair in the typical pattern. The gene was believed to
have reduced effects or to be recessive in women, who needed two copies
for baldness.
However, this view was based on a relatively small study of 22 families
done in 1916, and more recent research suggests a more complex
situattion, one involving multiple genes, not necessarily passed on in
the maternal line, and one with an additive effect with each gene
involved.
A larger Australian study reported in The Journal of Investigative
Dermatology did not identify a candidate gene as the culprit and in fact
found no clear pattern of inheritance but noted that there was a
relatively strong correspondence between baldness tendencies in fathers
and sons.
However, baldness in the men on either the mother's side or the father's
side of the family is associated with a higher chance of developing
baldness.
Male-pattern baldness has been linked to hormone levels, and candidate
genes are those involved in androgen production and conversion of
androgen into a hormone called dihydrotestosterone.