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Sexual Dimorphic Regulation of Liver Gene Expression by Glucocorticoids

ABSTRACT: Males and females exhibit differences in the incidence of many major diseases including auto-immune diseases, hepatocellular carcinoma, diabetes, and osteoporosis, which all have important inflammatory components in their etiology. Glucocorticoids are the primary physiological anti-inflammatory hormone in all mammals and synthetic derivatives of these hormones are widely prescribed as anti-inflammatory agents irrespective of gender. Surprisingly we report a marked sexually dimorphic regulation of gene expression by glucocorticoids in the rat liver. Eight distinct patterns of glucocorticoid regulated genes were identified and two revealed genes that respond to glucocorticoid treatment in both sexes in opposite directions (anti-correlated genes. We also identified gender-specific groups of genes regulated by glucocorticoids. Pathways analysis identified sex-specific glucocorticoid regulated gene expression in several canonical pathways that have been implicated in human disease in which disease susceptibility is sex-biased. For example, comparison of number of genes involved in inflammatory disorders between sexes, revealed 84 additional glucocorticoid responsive genes in the male rat. Our data suggests that glucocorticoids thorough sexually-dimorphic regulation of gene expression modulate gender specific homeostatic functions in male and female liver.

ORGANISM(S): Rattus norvegicus

PROVIDER: GSE13461 | GEO | 2010/10/02

SECONDARY ACCESSION(S): PRJNA109925

REPOSITORIES: GEO

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Project description:Males and females exhibit differences in the incidence of many major diseases including auto-immune diseases, hepatocellular carcinoma, diabetes, and osteoporosis, which all have important inflammatory components in their etiology. Glucocorticoids are the primary physiological anti-inflammatory hormone in all mammals and synthetic derivatives of these hormones are widely prescribed as anti-inflammatory agents irrespective of gender. Surprisingly we report a marked sexually dimorphic regulation of gene expression by glucocorticoids in the rat liver. Eight distinct patterns of glucocorticoid regulated genes were identified and two revealed genes that respond to glucocorticoid treatment in both sexes in opposite directions (anti-correlated genes. We also identified gender-specific groups of genes regulated by glucocorticoids. Pathways analysis identified sex-specific glucocorticoid regulated gene expression in several canonical pathways that have been implicated in human disease in which disease susceptibility is sex-biased. For example, comparison of number of genes involved in inflammatory disorders between sexes, revealed 84 additional glucocorticoid responsive genes in the male rat. Our data suggests that glucocorticoids thorough sexually-dimorphic regulation of gene expression modulate gender specific homeostatic functions in male and female liver. Adult males and females adrenalectomized Sprague-Dawley rats (8-10 weeks of age) (females Distrous 1) were treated with vehicle (Phosphate Buffered Saline – 400 µl) or Dexamethasone (1mg/Kg i.p.) purchased from Steraloids (Newport, RI). Liver was harvested 6 hours after treatment and kept in RNA later solution at 4oC over night. Samples were frozen and stored at -80oC. Three replicate microarrays were completed for each group (male vehicle, male dexamethasone, female vehicle and female dexamethasone) for a total of 12 microarrays. Each microarray was hybridized using a pooled RNA sample, and each pool was created from equal amounts of total RNA from three independent RNA samples, representing individual animals (n=9 animals per group). This approach provides appropriate biological replication within the constraints of a limiting number of microarrays (C. Kendziorski, R. A. Irizarry, K. S. Chen, J. D. Haag, M. N. Gould, Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 102, 4252 Mar 22, 2005).

Project description:There is increasing appreciation for sexually dimorphic effects, but the molecular mechanisms underlying these effects are only partially understood. In the present study, we explored transcriptomics and epigenetic differences in the small intestine and colon of prepubescent male and female mice. In addition, the microbiota composition of the colonic luminal content has been examined. At postnatal day 14, male and female C57BL/6 mice were sacrificed and the small intestine, colon and content of luminal colon were isolated. Gene expression of both segments of the intestine was analysed by microarray analysis. DNA methylation of the promoter regions of selected sexually dimorphic genes was examined by pyrosequencing. Composition of the microbiota was explored by deep sequencing. Sexually dimorphic genes were observed in both segments of the intestine of 2-week-old mouse pups, with a stronger effect in the small intestine. Amongst the total of 349 genes displaying a sexually dimorphic effect in the small intestine and/or colon, several candidates exhibited a previously established function in the intestine (i.e. Nts, Nucb2, Alox5ap and Retnlγ). In addition, differential expression of genes linked to intestinal bowel disease (i.e. Ccr3, Ccl11 and Tnfr) and colorectal cancer development (i.e. Wt1 and Mmp25) was observed between males and females. Amongst the genes displaying significant sexually dimorphic expression, nine genes were histone-modifying enzymes, suggesting that epigenetic mechanisms might be a potential underlying regulatory mechanism. However, our results reveal no significant changes in DNA methylation of analysed CpGs within the selected differentially expressed genes. With respect to the bacterial community composition in the colon, a dominant effect of litter origin was found but no significant sex effect was detected. However, a sex effect on the dominance of specific taxa was observed. This study reveals molecular dissimilarities between males and females in the small intestine and colon of prepubescent mice, which might underlie differences in physiological functioning and in disease predisposition in the two sexes. Small intestine and colon were isolated from two-week old pups of dams fed a low-fat diet and subjected to gene expression profiling

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Sexual Dimorphic Regulation of Liver Gene Expression by Glucocorticoids

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