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Zelco A, Joshi A. Single-Cell Analysis of Sex and Gender Differences in the Human Brain During Development and Disease. Cell Mol Neurobiol 2025; 45:20. [PMID: 40016536 PMCID: PMC11868228 DOI: 10.1007/s10571-025-01536-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2024] [Accepted: 02/07/2025] [Indexed: 03/01/2025]
Abstract
Sex and gender (SG) differences in the human brain are of interest to society and science as numerous processes are impacted by them, including brain development, behavior, and diseases. By collecting publicly available single-cell data from the in-utero to elderly age in healthy, Alzheimer's disease and multiple sclerosis samples, we identified and characterized SG-biased genes in ten brain cell types across 9 age and disease groups. Sex and gender differences in the transcriptome were present throughout the lifespan and across all cell types. Although there was limited overlap among SG-biased genes across different age and disease groups, we observed significant functional overlap. Female-biased genes are consistently enriched for brain-related processes, while male-biased genes are enriched for metabolic pathways. Additionally, mitochondrial genes showed a consistent female bias across cell types. We also found that androgen response elements (not estrogen) were significantly enriched in both male- and female-biased genes, and thymosin hormone targets being consistently enriched only in male-biased genes. We systematically characterised SG differences in brain development and brain-related disorders at a single-cell level, by analysing a total of publicly available 419,885 single nuclei from 161 human brain samples (72 females, 89 males). The significant enrichment of androgen (not estrogen) response elements in both male- and female-biased genes suggests that androgens are important regulators likely establishing these SG differences. Finally, we provide full characterization of SG-biased genes at different thresholds for the scientific community as a web resource.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aura Zelco
- Department of Clinical Science, Computational Biology Unit, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.
| | - Anagha Joshi
- Department of Clinical Science, Computational Biology Unit, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.
- Department of Biotechnology, Bhupat and Jyoti Mehta School of Biosciences, IIT Madras, Chennai, India.
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Liu Y, Du M, Zhang L, Wang N, He Q, Cao J, Zhao B, Li X, Li B, Bou G, Zhao Y, Dugarjaviin M. Comparative Analysis of mRNA and lncRNA Expression Profiles in Testicular Tissue of Sexually Immature and Sexually Mature Mongolian Horses. Animals (Basel) 2024; 14:1717. [PMID: 38929336 PMCID: PMC11200857 DOI: 10.3390/ani14121717] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2024] [Revised: 06/01/2024] [Accepted: 06/04/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Testicular development and spermatogenesis are tightly regulated by both coding and non-coding genes, with mRNA and lncRNA playing crucial roles in post-transcriptional gene expression regulation. However, there are significant differences in regulatory mechanisms before and after sexual maturity. Nevertheless, the mRNAs and lncRNAs in the testes of Mongolian horses have not been systematically identified. In this study, we first identified the testicular tissues of sexually immature and sexually mature Mongolian horses at the tissue and protein levels, and comprehensively analyzed the expression profiles of mRNA and lncRNA in the testes of 1-year-old (12 months, n = 3) and 10-year-old (n = 3) Mongolian horses using RNA sequencing technology. Through gene expression analysis, we identified 16,582 mRNAs and 2128 unknown lncRNAs that are commonly expressed in both sexually immature and sexually mature Mongolian horses. Meanwhile, 9217 mRNAs (p < 0.05) and 2191 unknown lncRNAs (p < 0.05) were identified as differentially expressed between the two stages, which were further validated by real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR and analyzed using Gene Ontology (GO) and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG). The analysis results showed that genes in the sexually immature stage were mainly enriched in terms related to cellular infrastructure, while genes in the sexually mature stage were enriched in terms associated with hormones, metabolism, and spermatogenesis. In summary, the findings of this study provide valuable resources for a deeper understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying testicular development and spermatogenesis in Mongolian horses and offer new perspectives for future related research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuanyi Liu
- Key Laboratory of Equus Germplasm Innovation, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Hohhot 010018, China; (Y.L.); (L.Z.); (N.W.); (Q.H.); (J.C.); (B.Z.); (X.L.); (B.L.); (G.B.); (Y.Z.)
- Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Equine Science Research and Technology Innovation, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, China
- Equus Research Center, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, China
| | - Ming Du
- Key Laboratory of Equus Germplasm Innovation, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Hohhot 010018, China; (Y.L.); (L.Z.); (N.W.); (Q.H.); (J.C.); (B.Z.); (X.L.); (B.L.); (G.B.); (Y.Z.)
- Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Equine Science Research and Technology Innovation, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, China
- Equus Research Center, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, China
| | - Lei Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Equus Germplasm Innovation, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Hohhot 010018, China; (Y.L.); (L.Z.); (N.W.); (Q.H.); (J.C.); (B.Z.); (X.L.); (B.L.); (G.B.); (Y.Z.)
- Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Equine Science Research and Technology Innovation, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, China
- Equus Research Center, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, China
| | - Na Wang
- Key Laboratory of Equus Germplasm Innovation, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Hohhot 010018, China; (Y.L.); (L.Z.); (N.W.); (Q.H.); (J.C.); (B.Z.); (X.L.); (B.L.); (G.B.); (Y.Z.)
- Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Equine Science Research and Technology Innovation, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, China
- Equus Research Center, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, China
| | - Qianqian He
- Key Laboratory of Equus Germplasm Innovation, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Hohhot 010018, China; (Y.L.); (L.Z.); (N.W.); (Q.H.); (J.C.); (B.Z.); (X.L.); (B.L.); (G.B.); (Y.Z.)
- Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Equine Science Research and Technology Innovation, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, China
- Equus Research Center, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, China
| | - Jialong Cao
- Key Laboratory of Equus Germplasm Innovation, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Hohhot 010018, China; (Y.L.); (L.Z.); (N.W.); (Q.H.); (J.C.); (B.Z.); (X.L.); (B.L.); (G.B.); (Y.Z.)
- Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Equine Science Research and Technology Innovation, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, China
- Equus Research Center, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, China
| | - Bilig Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Equus Germplasm Innovation, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Hohhot 010018, China; (Y.L.); (L.Z.); (N.W.); (Q.H.); (J.C.); (B.Z.); (X.L.); (B.L.); (G.B.); (Y.Z.)
- Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Equine Science Research and Technology Innovation, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, China
- Equus Research Center, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, China
| | - Xinyu Li
- Key Laboratory of Equus Germplasm Innovation, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Hohhot 010018, China; (Y.L.); (L.Z.); (N.W.); (Q.H.); (J.C.); (B.Z.); (X.L.); (B.L.); (G.B.); (Y.Z.)
- Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Equine Science Research and Technology Innovation, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, China
- Equus Research Center, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, China
| | - Bei Li
- Key Laboratory of Equus Germplasm Innovation, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Hohhot 010018, China; (Y.L.); (L.Z.); (N.W.); (Q.H.); (J.C.); (B.Z.); (X.L.); (B.L.); (G.B.); (Y.Z.)
- Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Equine Science Research and Technology Innovation, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, China
- Equus Research Center, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, China
| | - Gerelchimeg Bou
- Key Laboratory of Equus Germplasm Innovation, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Hohhot 010018, China; (Y.L.); (L.Z.); (N.W.); (Q.H.); (J.C.); (B.Z.); (X.L.); (B.L.); (G.B.); (Y.Z.)
- Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Equine Science Research and Technology Innovation, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, China
- Equus Research Center, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, China
| | - Yiping Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Equus Germplasm Innovation, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Hohhot 010018, China; (Y.L.); (L.Z.); (N.W.); (Q.H.); (J.C.); (B.Z.); (X.L.); (B.L.); (G.B.); (Y.Z.)
- Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Equine Science Research and Technology Innovation, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, China
- Equus Research Center, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, China
| | - Manglai Dugarjaviin
- Key Laboratory of Equus Germplasm Innovation, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Hohhot 010018, China; (Y.L.); (L.Z.); (N.W.); (Q.H.); (J.C.); (B.Z.); (X.L.); (B.L.); (G.B.); (Y.Z.)
- Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Equine Science Research and Technology Innovation, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, China
- Equus Research Center, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, China
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Trout AL, McLouth CJ, Westberry JM, Sengoku T, Wilson ME. Estrogen's sex-specific effects on ischemic cell death and estrogen receptor mRNA expression in rat cortical organotypic explants. AGING BRAIN 2024; 5:100117. [PMID: 38650743 PMCID: PMC11033203 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbas.2024.100117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2023] [Revised: 02/14/2024] [Accepted: 04/09/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Estrogens, such as the biologically active 17-β estradiol (E2), regulate not only reproductive behaviors in adults, but also influence neurodevelopment and neuroprotection in both females and males. E2, contingent upon the timing and concentration of the therapy, is neuroprotective in female and male rodent models of stroke. In Vivo studies suggest that E2 may partially mediate this neuroprotection, particularly in the cortex, via ERα. In Vitro studies, utilizing a chemically induced ischemic injury in cortical explants from both sexes, suggest that ERα or ERβ signaling is needed to mediate the E2 protection. Since we know that the timing and concentration of E2 therapy may be sex-specific, we examined if E2 (1 nM) mediates neuroprotection when female and male cortical explants are separately isolated from postnatal day (PND) 3-4 rat. Changes in basal levels ERα, ERβ, and AR mRNA expression are compared across early post-natal development in the intact cortex and the corresponding days in vitro (DIV) for cortical explants. Following ischemic injury at 7 DIV, cell death and ERα, ERβ and AR mRNA expression was compared in female and male cortical explants. We provide evidence that E2-mediated protection is maintained in isolated cortical explants from females, but not male rats. In female cortical explants, the E2-mediated protection at 24 h occurs secondarily to a blunted transient increase in ERα mRNA at 12 h. These results suggest that cortical E2-mediated protection is influenced by sex and supports data to differentially treat females and males following ischemic injury.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda L. Trout
- Department of Physiology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, USA
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, USA
| | - Christopher J McLouth
- Department of Neurology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, 40536, USA
- Department of Biostatistics, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, 40536, USA
| | - Jenne M. Westberry
- Department of Physiology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, USA
| | - Tomoko Sengoku
- Department of Physiology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, USA
| | - Melinda E. Wilson
- Department of Physiology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, USA
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