This is what a biomedical person tells about. Depending on the genes in a person's sex chromosomes, he may develop certain cardiovascular diseases. Read more about these features in the material. Discuss ” alt=”X and Y chromosomes have been linked to human heart disease” X and Y chromosomes have been linked to human heart disease />
According to the author, UC San Diego biomedical scientist Brian Aguado, the X chromosome has an interesting function.
So, if we consider tricolor cats, then their females almost always have red and black spots, since the gene that is responsible for coat color is located on the X chromosome. When black and tan cats are mated, their kittens usually inherit one X chromosome from each parent and have a mixture of black and tan fur. The males of such cats usually have completely black or red hair.
For the proper functioning of the body, one of the X chromosomes is “turned off” in each of the cells of the body. This happens because a cat or a person only needs one X chromosome. At the same time, it happens that some genes in the “turned off” X chromosome remain active. There can be up to one third of such genes in a person, and they affect health and the development of diseases.
One of the diseases associated with such genes is aortic valve stenosis. This is a condition in which the part of the heart that controls blood flow to the rest of the body narrows and becomes stiff. As a result, the heart begins to work more actively, which can lead to heart failure. At the same time, there are currently no effective drugs for the treatment of stenosis.
According to earlier studies, aortic valves in people with XX and XY chromosomes harden differently. The former usually develop fibrosis (increased scarring), while the latter increase calcium deposition. But why is this happening?
According to the author of the article and her colleagues, the reason lies in the peculiarities of the genes in the “disabled” X chromosomes. It is on them that the degree of valve stiffness in the heart during stenosis depends. To conduct the study, experts created bioengineered models of valve tissue using hydrogels.
It turned out that with a decrease in the activity of genes that avoided switching off in the X chromosomes, scarring of the cells of the XX chromosome decreased. It also turned out that cells with XY chromosomes were more sensitive to drugs that target genes that contribute to scarring, rather than XX chromosomes.
that act on genes on “disabled” X chromosomes are more effective when used for cells with XX chromosomes. XY.
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Source: The Conversation