A protein could explain differences in health and aging between men and women

This is stated by the Spanish Ministry of Science, the State Research Agency, the Severo Ochoa Center of Excellence and the Josep Carreras Leukemia Research Institute of Barcelona (Spain) in a statement, according to which the study of sex chromosomes is one of the most promising lines of research in this field.

The research, led by the Josep Carreras Institute and the Mass General Brigham in Boston (United States) and published in ‘Nature’, iidentifies SIRT7 as a key protector of genome and X chromosome stabilityespecially in women, who have two X chromosomes, compared to men, who only have one.

The group leader of the Josep Carreras Institute, Alejandro Vaquero, explained that, unlike previous studies, this work expands knowledge about how alterations in this protein “can affect the regulation of the immune system and contribute to the development of hematological cancers.”

Specifically, he has argued that the absence of SIRT7 alters genomic regulation, damages DNA and has more serious consequences in women than in men, which can contribute to understanding the biological differences between sexes and advance research into hematological cancers.

In female cells, one of the two X chromosomes normally remains inactive to maintain the correct balance in gene expression.

However, researchers have observed that, when SIRT7 is missing, this mechanism is altered: the inactive X chromosome is excessively silenced while the active X chromosome abnormally increases its activity, which makes the chromosome more vulnerable to DNA damage and genomic instability.

In animal models, Females were the most affected by the absence of SIRT7, as they presented higher levels of DNA damagea worse state of health and a lower life expectancy than males.

The findings of this study are especially relevant to immune function, andBecause proper regulation of the X chromosome is essential to maintain the balance of the immune system.

Alterations in the activity of this chromosome can influence the development and functioning of blood and immune cells, potentially favoring immune deregulation and explaining why some diseases affect women and men differently.

In this sense, recent findings suggest that SIRT7 plays a fundamental role in the control of blood and immune cell functions and their malignant transformationand in the protection of these cells against genetic alterations that can favor the development of hematological cancers.