Project description:This study utilized a network-based approach to characterize the blood transcriptome collected over the course of infection with influenza A virus from female and male ferrets to dissect sex-biased gene expression shaped by genetically determined differences. It provides molecular insights into genetically driven sex differences in transcriptional regulation of immune responses.
Project description:This study utilized a network-based approach to characterize the blood transcriptome collected over the course of infection with influenza A virus from female and male ferrets to dissect sex-biased gene expression shaped by genetically determined differences. It provides molecular insights into genetically driven sex differences in transcriptional regulation of immune responses.
Project description:Background : The placenta is vital for fetal development and its contributions to various developmental issues, such as pregnancy complications, fetal growth restriction, and maternal exposure, have been extensively studied in mice. The placenta forms mainly from fetal tissue and therefore has the same biological sex as the fetus it supports. Extensive research has delved into the placenta’s involvement in pregnancy complications and future offspring development, with a notable emphasis on exploring sex-specific disparities. However, despite these investigations, sex-based disparities in epigenetic (e.g., DNA methylation) and transcriptomic features of the late-gestation mouse placenta remain largely unknown. Methods : We collected male and female mouse placentas at late gestation (E18.5, n = 3/sex) and performed next-generation sequencing to identify genome-wide sex differences in transcription and DNA methylation. Results Our comparison between male and female revealed 358 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) on autosomes, which were associated with signaling pathways involved in transmembrane transport and the responses to viruses and external stimuli. X chromosome DEGs (n = 39) were associated with different pathways, including those regulating chromatin modification and small GTPase-mediated signal transduction. Differentially methylated regions (DMRs) were more common on the X chromosomes (n = 3756) than on autosomes (n = 1705). Interestingly, while most X chromosome DMRs had higher DNA methylation levels in female placentas and tended to be included in CpG dinucleotide-rich regions, 73% of autosomal DMRs had higher methylation levels in male placentas and were distant from CpG-rich regions. Several DEGs were correlated with DMRs. A subset of the DMRs present in late-stage placentas were already established in mid-gestation (E10.5) placentas (n = 348 DMRs on X chromosome and 19 DMRs on autosomes), while others were acquired later in placental development. Conclusion : Our study provides comprehensive lists of DEGs and DMRs between male and female that collectively cause profound differences in the DNA methylation and gene expression profiles of late-gestation mouse placentas. Our results demonstrate the importance of incorporating sex-specific analyses into epigenetic and transcription studies to enhance the accuracy and comprehensiveness of their conclusions and help address the significant knowledge gap regarding how sex differences influence placental function.
Project description:Male and female disease states differ in their prevalence, treatment responses, and survival rates. In cardiac disease, women almost uniformly fare far worse than men1-3. Though sex plays a critical role in cardiac disease, the mechanisms underlying sex differences in cardiac homeostasis and disease remain unexplained. Here, we reveal sex-specific cardiac transcriptomes and proteomes and show that cardiac sex differences are predominately controlled via post-transcriptional mechanisms. Using a quantitative proteomics-based approach, we characterize differential sex-specific enriched cardiac proteins, protein complexes, and biological sex processes in the context of global genetic diversity of the Collaborative Cross. We show that differences in cardiac protein expression are established by both hormonal and genetic mechanisms and define two additional pathways, one that is SRY dependent and one that is SRY-independent. We also determined the onset of sex-biased protein expression and discovered that sex disparities in heart tissue occur at the earliest stages of heart development, during the period preceding primary mammalian sex determination. This may explain why congenital heart disease, a leading cause of death whose origin is often developmental, is sex biased. Our results reveal the molecular foundations for the differences in cardiac tissue that underlie sex disparities in health, disease, and treatment outcomes.
Project description:Clinical data showed sex variability in the immune response to influenza vaccination, this study aimed to investigate differentially expressed genes that contribute to sex-bias immune responses to quadrivalent inactivated influenza vaccines (QIVs) in older subjects. A cohort of 60 healthy older adults aged 60 to 80 years old were vaccinated with quadrivalent inactivated influenza vaccines (QIVs), and gene expression was analyzed at Day 0 pre-vaccination, Day 3, Day 28 and Day 180 post-vaccination. Sexual dimorphism of humoral immunity was analyzed by HAI assay, and the correlation of gene expression patterns of two sex groups with humoral immune response to vaccination was analyzed. The differentially expressed genes involved in type I interferon signaling pathway and complement activation of classical pathway were upregulated within 3 days post-vaccination in females. At Day 28 after immunization, the immune response showed a man-bias pattern associated with the regulation of protein processing and complement activation of classical pathway. A list of differentially expressed genes associated with variant responses to influenza vaccination between women and men were identified by biology-driven clustering. Old women have a greater immune response to QIVs but rapid decline of antibody levels, while old men have the advantages to sustain a durable response to influenza vaccination. In addition, we identified genes that may contribute to the sex variations toward influenza vaccination in the aged. Our findings highlight the importance of developing personalized seasonal influenza vaccines.
Project description:Over the last decade, more than half of humans infected with highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 viruses have died, and yet virus-induced host signaling has yet to be clearly elucidated. Airway epithelia are known to produce inflammatory mediators that contribute to HPAI H5N1-mediated pathogenicity, but a comprehensive analysis of the host response in this cell type is lacking. Here, we leveraged a systems biology method called weighted gene correlation network analysis (WGCNA) to identify and statistically validate signaling sub-networks that define the dynamic transcriptional response of human bronchial epithelial cells after infection with influenza A/Vietnam/1203/2004 (H5N1, VN1203). A detailed examination of two sub-networks involved in the immune response and keratin filament formation revealed potential novel mediators of HPAI H5N1 pathogenesis, and additional experiments validated upregulation of these transcripts in response to VN1203 infection in C57BL/6 mice. Using emergent network properties, we provide fresh insight into the host response to HPAI H5N1 virus infection, and identify novel avenues for perturbation studies and potential therapeutic intervention of fatal HPAI H5N1 disease. Calu-3 cells were infected with VN1203 influenza virus and profiled at 0, 3, 7, 12, 18, and 24 hours post infection. There are 3 mock and infected replicates for each time point.
Project description:Using influenza A virus (IAV) infection in a mouse model of naturally selected genetic diversity, namely C57BL6/J (B6) mice carrying chromosomes (Chr) derived from the wild-derived and genetically divergent PWD/PhJ (PWD) mouse strain (B6.ChrPWD consomic mice), we examined the effects of genotype and sex on severity of IAV-induced disease To determine the role of genetic variation of host during IAV infection on gene expression, we performed RNAseq analysis on whole lung RNA isolated from two different mice.