According to a recent study, an extra copy of a gene could enhance the antiviral function of NK cells in women, which would protect them from acute forms of viral infections.
- A viral pathology is caused by the transmission of a virus.
- The presence of an additional copy of a gene in women would protect them more effectively from viral infections compared to men.
- This additional gene acts as an epigenetic regulator to enhance the antiviral function of natural killer (NK) cells that stimulate the immune system.
A viral infection or virosis designates a disease due to the transmission of a virus, directly or indirectly, from one infected patient to another. There are different forms of viral infections such as HIV or hepatitis C and B. According to various studies, infectious diseases are generally more serious in men than in women. A recent study published in the journal Nature Immunology suggested that this difference could be explained by the presence of an extra copy of a gene in women.
The UTX gene may enhance the antiviral action of female NK cells
In their research, scientists at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) studied human natural killer (NK) cells and male and female mice. These are lymphocytes that act on the immune system. According to their results, the female cells carry an extra copy of an X-linked gene, called UTX, which acts as an epigenetic regulator to boost the antiviral function of NK cells, while decreasing their numbers.
“While it is well known that men have more NK cells than women, we did not understand why the increased number of NK cells was not more protective during viral infections. It turns out that NK cells of women contain more UTX than those of men, which allows them to fight viral infections more effectively”said Dr. Maureen Su, co-lead author of the study and professor of microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics, as well as pediatrics at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.
UTX gene: an evolution of therapies against viral infections ?
During the study, the researchers noticed that this phenomenon is true even when the mice do not have gonads, in other words the sex organs that produce gametes (ovaries in females and testicles in males). According to them, this means that the UTX gene is not related to hormones. Indeed, the female mice with a low expression of UTX presented more NK cells which were not able to fight as effectively against the viral infection. “This implies that UTX is an essential molecular determinant of sex differences in NK cells”said Mandy Cheng, lead author of the study and a graduate student in molecular biology at UCLA.
For those responsible for the study, these results could help to move antiviral therapies towards a model of personalized medicine that takes into account genetics, the environment and other factors that influence health and the risk of disease.
