Abstract 141: Evaluation of Gender Differences in T Cell Gene Expression by cDNA Microarray Analysis
Authors
A. Hewagama, D. R. Patel, F. M. Strickland, B. Richardson
Background:
One of the most frequently observed, yet poorly understood, phenomena in the systemic autoimmune diseases is the increased frequency with which these conditions affect women. Whether these differences arise from gender-specific alterations in immune response genes is a matter of great speculation.
Methods:
T cells were isolated from 3 male and 3 female donors and stimulated in culture for 3 days. Cells were then restimulated, RNA was extracted, and DNA microarray analysis was performed to look for differentially expressed genes.
Results:
There were 305 genes that were differentially expressed between men and women, and nearly 75% of these were more highly expressed in women. Upon restimulation of primed cells, nearly 1800 genes were upregulated, with 71% being expressed more highly in women. 139 of these were immune response genes, and 35% of these were noted to have estrogen response elements in their promoter regions.
Editorial Comment
This fascinating, though preliminary study, suggests that some of the observed female predominance in the prevalence of autoimmunity might arise due to differences in T cell immune responses in women, especially after restimulation of previously primed cells. Though this study needs to validated in a larger cohort, and gene and protein expression verified by additional techniques (ie. real time PCR and immunoblotting), these preliminary data are exciting in that they provide a novel link between estrogen effects and immune responses.
