1
|
Forsyth KS, Jiwrajka N, Lovell CD, Toothacre NE, Anguera MC. The conneXion between sex and immune responses. Nat Rev Immunol 2024; 24:487-502. [PMID: 38383754 PMCID: PMC11216897 DOI: 10.1038/s41577-024-00996-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/18/2024] [Indexed: 02/23/2024]
Abstract
There are notable sex-based differences in immune responses to pathogens and self-antigens, with female individuals exhibiting increased susceptibility to various autoimmune diseases, and male individuals displaying preferential susceptibility to some viral, bacterial, parasitic and fungal infections. Although sex hormones clearly contribute to sex differences in immune cell composition and function, the presence of two X chromosomes in female individuals suggests that differential gene expression of numerous X chromosome-linked immune-related genes may also influence sex-biased innate and adaptive immune cell function in health and disease. Here, we review the sex differences in immune system composition and function, examining how hormones and genetics influence the immune system. We focus on the genetic and epigenetic contributions responsible for altered X chromosome-linked gene expression, and how this impacts sex-biased immune responses in the context of pathogen infection and systemic autoimmunity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Katherine S Forsyth
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Nikhil Jiwrajka
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Division of Rheumatology, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Claudia D Lovell
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Natalie E Toothacre
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Montserrat C Anguera
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Mousavi MJ, Mahmoudi M, Ghotloo S. Escape from X chromosome inactivation and female bias of autoimmune diseases. Mol Med 2020; 26:127. [PMID: 33297945 PMCID: PMC7727198 DOI: 10.1186/s10020-020-00256-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2020] [Accepted: 12/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Generally, autoimmune diseases are more prevalent in females than males. Various predisposing factors, including female sex hormones, X chromosome genes, and the microbiome have been implicated in the female bias of autoimmune diseases. During embryogenesis, one of the X chromosomes in the females is transcriptionally inactivated, in a process called X chromosome inactivation (XCI). This equalizes the impact of two X chromosomes in the females. However, some genes escape from XCI, providing a basis for the dual expression dosage of the given gene in the females. In the present review, the contribution of the escape genes to the female bias of autoimmune diseases will be discussed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad Javad Mousavi
- Department of Hematology, Faculty of Allied Medicine, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Bushehr, Iran.,Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mahdi Mahmoudi
- Rheumatology Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Somayeh Ghotloo
- Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, School of Allied Medical Sciences, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Syrett CM, Sierra I, Beethem ZT, Dubin AH, Anguera MC. Loss of epigenetic modifications on the inactive X chromosome and sex-biased gene expression profiles in B cells from NZB/W F1 mice with lupus-like disease. J Autoimmun 2019; 107:102357. [PMID: 31780316 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaut.2019.102357] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2019] [Revised: 10/30/2019] [Accepted: 11/01/2019] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
The mechanisms underlying the female-bias in autoimmunity are poorly understood. The contribution of genetic and epigenetic factors from the inactive X chromosome (Xi) are beginning to emerge as critical mediators of autoimmunity in females. Here, we ask how epigenetic features of the Xi change during disease development in B cells from the NZB/W F1 spontaneous mouse model of lupus, which is female-biased. We find that Xist RNA becomes increasingly mislocalized from the Xi with disease onset. While NZB/W F1 naïve B cells have H3K27me3 foci on the Xi, which are missing from healthy C57BL/6 and BALB/c mice, these foci are progressively lost in stimulated B cells during disease. Using single-molecule RNA FISH, we show that the X-linked gene Tlr7 is biallelically expressed in ~20% of NZB/W F1 B cells, and that the amount of biallelic expression does not change with disease. We also present sex-specific gene expression profiles for diseased NZB/W F1 B cells, and find female-specific upregulation of 20 genes, including the autoimmunity-related genes Cxcl13, Msr1, Igj, and Prdm1. Together, these studies provide important insight into the loss of epigenetic modifications from the Xi and changes with gene expression in a mouse model of female-biased SLE.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Camille M Syrett
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Isabel Sierra
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Zachary T Beethem
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Aimee H Dubin
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Montserrat C Anguera
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Kottyan LC, Davis BP, Sherrill JD, Liu K, Rochman M, Kaufman K, Weirauch MT, Vaughn S, Lazaro S, Rupert AM, Kohram M, Stucke EM, Kemme KA, Magnusen A, He H, Dexheimer P, Chehade M, Wood RA, Pesek RD, Vickery BP, Fleischer DM, Lindbad R, Sampson HA, Mukkada V, Putnam PE, Abonia JP, Martin LJ, Harley JB, Rothenberg ME. Genome-wide association analysis of eosinophilic esophagitis provides insight into the tissue specificity of this allergic disease. Nat Genet 2014; 46:895-900. [PMID: 25017104 PMCID: PMC4121957 DOI: 10.1038/ng.3033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 207] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2014] [Accepted: 06/18/2014] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is a chronic inflammatory disorder associated with allergic hypersensitivity to food. We interrogated >1.5 million genetic variants in EoE cases of European ancestry and subsequently in a multi-site cohort with local and out-of-study control subjects. In addition to replicating association of the 5q22 locus (meta-analysis P=1.9×10(-16)), we identified an association at 2p23 spanning CAPN14 (P=2.5×10(-10)). CAPN14 was specifically expressed in the esophagus, was dynamically upregulated as a function of disease activity and genetic haplotype and after exposure of epithelial cells to interleukin (IL)-13, and was located in an epigenetic hotspot modified by IL-13. Genes neighboring the top 208 EoE-associated sequence variants were enriched for esophageal expression, and multiple loci for allergic sensitization were associated with EoE susceptibility (4.8×10(-2)
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Leah C. Kottyan
- Center for Autoimmune Genomics and Etiology, Division of Rheumatology, Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
- United States Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
- Division of Allergy and Immunology, Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
| | - Benjamin P. Davis
- Division of Allergy and Immunology, Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
| | - Joseph D. Sherrill
- Division of Allergy and Immunology, Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
| | - Kan Liu
- Division of Allergy and Immunology, Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
| | - Mark Rochman
- Division of Allergy and Immunology, Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
| | - Kenneth Kaufman
- Center for Autoimmune Genomics and Etiology, Division of Rheumatology, Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
- United States Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
| | - Matthew T. Weirauch
- Center for Autoimmune Genomics and Etiology, Division of Rheumatology, Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
- Division of Biomedical Informatics, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
| | - Samuel Vaughn
- Center for Autoimmune Genomics and Etiology, Division of Rheumatology, Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
| | - Sara Lazaro
- Center for Autoimmune Genomics and Etiology, Division of Rheumatology, Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
- United States Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
| | - Andrew M. Rupert
- Division of Biomedical Informatics, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
| | - Mojtaba Kohram
- Division of Biomedical Informatics, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
| | - Emily M. Stucke
- Division of Allergy and Immunology, Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
| | - Katherine A. Kemme
- Division of Allergy and Immunology, Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
| | - Albert Magnusen
- Center for Autoimmune Genomics and Etiology, Division of Rheumatology, Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
- United States Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
| | - Hua He
- Division of Human Genetics, Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
| | - Phillip Dexheimer
- Division of Biomedical Informatics, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
| | - Mirna Chehade
- Department of Pediatrics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Robert A. Wood
- Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Robbie D. Pesek
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and Arkansas Children’s Hospital, Little Rock, Arkansas, USA
| | - Brian P. Vickery
- Department of Pediatrics, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | | | | | - Hugh A. Sampson
- Department of Pediatrics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Vince Mukkada
- Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
| | - Phil E. Putnam
- Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
| | - J. Pablo Abonia
- Division of Allergy and Immunology, Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
| | - Lisa J. Martin
- Division of Human Genetics, Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
| | - John B. Harley
- Center for Autoimmune Genomics and Etiology, Division of Rheumatology, Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
- United States Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
| | - Marc E. Rothenberg
- Division of Allergy and Immunology, Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
| |
Collapse
|