The secret of men's suffering: The male Y chromosome has more functions than we thought
The discovery explains why men suffer differently from different diseases than women, including COVID-19. Archives
A study sheds new light on the role of genes for the little-known "Y" chromosome in men.
This may explain why men suffer differently from different diseases than women, including COVID-19.
Christian Dichber, professor at the University of Montreal and director of the experimental cardiovascular biology research unit at the Montreal Institute for Clinical Research, published the results of the study in the journal Scientific Reports.
"What we have discovered provides a better understanding of how male genes on the Y chromosome allow male cells to function differently from women's cells," said Deshper, the study's lead author.
He added: "In the future, these results could help shed light on why some diseases occur differently in men and women."
Each person has 23 pairs of chromosomes, including one pair of sex chromosomes.
While women carry one pair of the sex chromosome X, men carry one X and the other Y chromosome.
This male chromosome carries genes that women lack.
Although these male genes are present in all cells of the body, their only certain role so far is mainly limited to functions related to the sexual organs.
In his study, Deshber performed a genetic manipulation, as he disrupted two male genes on the Y chromosome, altering many of the signaling pathways that play important roles in certain functions of non-sexual organ cells, according to the Science Daily website.
For example, under stress, the affected mechanisms can affect the way cells in the human heart defend themselves against an attack such as ischemia (insufficient blood supply) or mechanical stress.
In addition, the study showed that these male genes perform their regulatory functions in an unusual way compared to the mechanisms generally used by most other genes in non-sexual chromosomes.
Thus, instead of specifically activating specific genes by direct action at the genome level, the Y chromosome appears to influence cellular functions by acting on protein production.
Discovering these differences in function may partly explain why there is not enough understanding yet of the functions of the Y chromosome genes, Dishber said.
Males differ from females in the severity and consequences of most diseases.
A recent example of this duality is Covid-19 disease, in which the death rate in males is higher than in women.
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