Study reveals why women are at greater risk of autoimmune disease
Study reveals why women are at greater risk of autoimmune disease
Research throws light on the mystery of why women are much more prone to autoimmune disorders: A molecule made by one X chromosome in every female cell can generate antibodies to a woman’s own tissues.
Beyond mice, researchers also examined blood samples from 100 patients — and uncovered autoantibodies targeting Xist-associated proteins that scientists hadn't previously linked to autoimmune disorders. A potential reason, Chang suggests: standard tests for autoimmunity were made using male cells.
I'm am glad they decided to look at other samples. As a woman I find it extremely frustrating that science is still using male cells, testing standards, etc to diagnose and treat women.
If it helps, the HeLa cell line, very popular in scientific research, comes from an African American woman: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/HeLa
I guess the reason for using only male cells in this case, might've been that if they're running the test either on a self-replicating cell line, or on a heavily inbred strain of lab mice, where both X chromosomes are supposed to be "practically identical" due to the inbreeding, while one of them gets inactivated in females, then running a test on cells with both X and Y chromosomes, would already include "all there was to see", with only half the work.
It's interesting to see some advances in the understanding of the interaction of two X chromosomes, and how the result is not exactly the same as a single X.
The HeLa line had its own male-dominated issues, ie: denying her family a right to any money from the use of her genetics ... which, once rectified, led to a signing away of any rights for people who have an interest in helping advance scientific and medical knowledge and/or treatments.
I know this because I was asked to become part of a study, but after reading the contract that clearly stated I (and my family/descendants) would be shut out of any and all financial compensation, I declined.
While I agree with this if/when a government agency or university developes treatments or cures, I do not agree with it when the info is given freely to for-profit big pharma for them to make trillions from.
Male mouse cells no less. Of all the things we have to worry about, we gonna throw mouse sexism on the pile?
Damned male mice and their cheese privilege
@Gaywallet This particular link wasn't opening for me. But what I have heard elsewhere is that there are indeed known to be a number of parts of the X chromosome which affect the immune system, in ways we are still in the process of figuring out.
It's an interesting article, and well exposed.
It basically goes to say that the inactivation mechanism (Xist noncoding RNA strand) which gets triggered when there are two X chromosomes present in a cell, almost completely coats one of the X chromosomes, disabling it... but the result is not completely inert, still allowing the attachment of other partial strands, in weird combinations that can lead to an (auto)immune response.