GenderBiology.net

Genetic Signs Of Alcoholism Studied For The First Time In Women

SOURCE:  Medical News Today

DATE: February 21, 2013

EXCERPT: "Research ... has determined the frequency of genetic variants linked to alcoholism for the Spanish population, and its incidence not only in individuals with a high level of alcohol intake, but also in individuals with alcohol dependence. Furthermore, the broad presence of women in the sample has made it possible, for the first time, to associate some of these genetic variants with a high level of alcohol intake in women."  more

Complete Sex Reversal Of Male Mice Following The Deletion Of Just One Gene

SOURCE: Medical News Today

DATE: November 29, 2012

EXCERPT: "Scientists at the Institute of Molecular Biology (IMB) in Mainz have identified a protein essential for initiating the development of male sex organs. Loss of the gene Gadd45g results in complete sex reversal of male mice, making them appear female. " more

RELATED PUBMED LINK:

Gierl MS, Gruhn WH, von Seggern A, Maltry N, Niehrs C. GADD45G Functions in Male Sex Determination by Promoting p38 Signaling and Sry Expression. Dev Cell. 2012 Nov 13;23(5):1032-42. doi: 10.1016/j.devcel.2012.09.014. Epub 2012 Oct 25.

*Note: if you do not have access to this journal, contact your local librarian for assistance in accessing this article through library resources.

Gender Differences In The Impact Of Autism

SOURCE:  Medical News Today

DATE: October 19, 2012

EXCERPT:  "Men and women with autism spectrum conditions (ASC) may show subtle but significant differences in the cognitive functions impacted by the condition, .... Though individuals with autism show sex-specific differences in serum biomarkers, genetics and brain anatomy, little is known about any sex-dependent differences in cognition caused by ASC  ... the severity with which certain cognitive functions are affected by autism may be dependent on sex, and has implications for assessment and intervention of ASC.    more

RELATED PUBMED LINK:

Lai MC, Lombardo MV, Ruigrok AN, Chakrabarti B, Wheelwright SJ, Auyeung B, Allison C; MRC AIMS Consortium, Baron-Cohen S. Cognition in males and females with autism: similarities and differences. PLoS One. 2012;7(10):e47198.

*Note: if you do not have access to this journal, contact your local librarian for assistance in accessing this article through library resources.

Swapping DNA in the Womb

SOURCE:  The Scientist

DATE: September 27, 2012

EXCERPT: "DNA from male cells, most likely from a fetus or sibling, are often found in the brains of women, ...  "  more

RELATED PUBMED LINK:

Chan WF, Gurnot C, Montine TJ, Sonnen JA, Guthrie KA, Nelson JL. Male Microchimerism in the Human Female Brain. PLoS One. 2012;7(9):e45592.


*Note: if you do not have access to this journal, contact your local librarian for assistance in accessing this article through library resources.

Gender Differences In Genetic Predispositions

SOURCE:  Medical News Today

DATE: September 24, 2012

EXCERPT: "We are not all the same when it comes to illness. In fact, the risk of developing a disease such as diabetes or heart disease varies from one individual to another. A study led by Emmanouil Dermitzakis, Louis-Jeantet Professor at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Geneva (UNIGE) reveals that the genetic predisposition to develop certain diseases may differ from one individual to another depending on their sex.

...

The researchers found that even with the same DNA mutation in men and in women, the impact on the level of gene expression will be different. Of all the genetic variants that have an impact on the level of gene expression, about 15% work differently depending on whether they are acting upon a man or a woman."  more

RELATED PUBMED LINK:

Dimas A, Nica A, Montgomery S, Stranger B, Raj T, Buil A, Giger T, Lappalainen T, Gutierrez-Arcelus M, McCarthy M, Dermitzakis E. Sex-biased genetic effects on gene regulation in humans. Genome Res. 2012 Sep 7.


*Note: if you do not have access to this journal, contact your local librarian for assistance in accessing this article through library resources.

How High-Fat Diet, Estrogen Loss Lead Women To Store More Abdominal Fat Than Men

SOURCE:  Newswise

DATE: September 5, 2012

EXCERPT: "A high-fat diet triggers chemical reactions in female mice that could explain why women are more likely than men to gain fat in the abdomen after eating excess saturated fat, new research suggests. The study also sheds light on why women gain fat following menopause."  more

RELATED PUBMED LINK:

Yasmeen R, Reichert B, Deiuliis J, Yang F, Lynch A, Meyers J, Sharlach M, Shin S, Volz KS, Green KB, Lee K, Alder H, Duester G, Zechner R, Rajagopalan S, Ziouzenkova O. Autocrine Function of Aldehyde Dehydrogenase 1 as a Determinant of Diet- and Sex-Specific Differences in Visceral Adiposity. Diabetes. 2012 Aug 28.


*Note: if you do not have access to this journal, contact your local librarian for assistance in accessing this article through library resources.

Scientists ID 'Happy' Gene in Women

SOURCE:  MedlinePlus (HealthDay)

DATE: August 29, 2012

EXCERPT: "A "happy" gene that affects females but not males may explain why women are often happier than men, research suggests.  .... The reason for the gender difference found in this study may be partly due to the hormone testosterone, the study authors suggested. Men have much higher amounts of testosterone than women and the hormone may cancel out the happiness effect of the low-expression version of MAOA in men, the researchers said in the news release."   more

RELATED PUBMED LINK:
style="color: #936386"

Chen H, Pine DS, Ernst M, Gorodetsky E, Kasen S, Gordon K, Goldman D, Cohen P. The MAOA gene predicts happiness in women. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry. 2012 Aug 4.

*Note: if you do not have access to this journal, contact your local librarian for assistance in accessing this article through library resources.

Clues to women’s longer lives in ‘hotspot’ DNA

SOURCE: Futurity

DATE: August 2, 2012

EXCERPT: "A new study reveals how mutations in mitochondrial DNA can help explain why women tend to live longer than men."  more

RELATED PUBMED LINK:

Camus MF, Clancy DJ, Dowling DK. Mitochondria, Maternal Inheritance, and Male Aging. Curr Biol. 2012 Aug 1.


*Note: if you do not have access to this journal, contact your local librarian for assistance in accessing this article through library resources.

Boys More Affected By Mutations In Autism Susceptibility Gene

SOURCE:  Medical News Today

DATE:  July 15, 2012

EXCERPT:  "Researchers at Emory University School of Medicine have identified five rare mutations in a single gene that appear to increase the chances that a boy will develop an autism spectrum disorder (ASD)." more

RELATED PUBMED LINK:

Mondal K, Ramachandran D, Patel VC, Hagen KR, Bose P, Cutler DJ, Zwick ME. Excess variants in AFF2 detected by massively parallel sequencing of males with autism spectrum disorder. Hum Mol Genet. 2012 Jul 10.


*Note: if you do not have access to this journal, contact your local librarian for assistance in accessing this article through library resources.

’Y’ Some Men Get CAD: Could Be Genetic

SOURCE: MedPage Today

DATE:  February 9, 2012

EXCERPT: "The reason why some men develop coronary artery disease earlier than women and irrespective of traditional risk factors may be related to the Y chromosome, British researchers said."   more

RELATED PUBMED LINK:

Charchar FJ, Bloomer LD, Barnes TA, Cowley MJ, Nelson CP, Wang Y, Denniff M, Debiec R, Christofidou P, Nankervis S, Dominiczak AF, Bani-Mustafa A, Balmforth AJ, Hall AS, Erdmann J, Cambien F, Deloukas P, Hengstenberg C, Packard C, Schunkert H, Ouwehand WH, Ford I, Goodall AH, Jobling MA, Samani NJ, Tomaszewski M. Inheritance of coronary artery disease in men: an analysis of the role of the Y chromosome. Lancet. 2012 Feb 8.


*Note: if you do not have access to this journal, contact your local librarian for assistance in accessing this article through library resources.