CLEC16A and alopecia areata: CLEC16A is a well-established autoimmune disorder susceptibility gene and has been associated with several autoimmune diseases, including type-1 diabetes (1–5), multiple sclerosis (6), primary adrenal insufficiency (7), Crohn's disease (8), primary biliary cirrhosis (9), juvenile idiopathic arthritis (10), rheumatoid arthritis (10), and alopecia areata (11), suggesting that CLEC16A could be a master regulator of aberrant autoimmune responses.