Y chromosome in health and diseases

Abstract

Sex differences are prevalent in normal development, physiology and disease pathogeneses. Recent studies have demonstrated that mosaic loss of Y chromosome and aberrant activation of its genes could modify the disease processes in male biased manners. This mini review discusses the nature of the genes on the human Y chromosome and identifies two general categories of genes: those sharing dosage-sensitivity functions with their X homologues and those with testis-specific expression and functions. Mosaic loss of the former disrupts the homeostasis important for the maintenance of health while aberrant activation of the latter promotes pathogenesis in non-gonadal tissues, thereby contributing to genetic predispositions to diseases in men.

Document Details

Document Type
Pub Defense Publication
Publication Date
Aug 13, 2020
Source ID
10.1186/s13578-020-00452-w

Entities

People

  • Yun-Fai Chris Lau

Organizations

  • United States Department of Defense
  • United States Department of Veterans Affairs

Tags

Fields of Study

  • Biology
  • Medicine

Readers

  • Molecular Biology and Genetics
  • Molecular and genetic basis of cancer.
  • Systems Analysis and Design

Technology Areas

  • Biotechnology