New Delhi, Oct 16
US researchers have identified a gene on the X chromosome that drives inflammation in the female brain and explains the reason why women are disproportionately affected by conditions such as Alzheimer's disease and multiple sclerosis.
The team from the University of California-Los Angeles noted that, as females have two X chromosomes, as opposed to only one in males, they get a "double dose" of inflammation, which plays a major role in ageing, Alzheimer's disease, and multiple sclerosis.
Using a mouse model of multiple sclerosis, they found the gene Kdm6a, which causes inflammation in microglia -- immune cells in the brain.
When Kdm6a and its associated protein were deactivated, the multiple sclerosis-like disease and neuropathology were both ameliorated with high significance in female mice, revealed the study, published in the journal Science Translational Medicine.