The impact of sex on gene expression across human tissues
- PMID: 32913072
- PMCID: PMC8136152
- DOI: 10.1126/science.aba3066
The impact of sex on gene expression across human tissues
Abstract
Many complex human phenotypes exhibit sex-differentiated characteristics. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying these differences remain largely unknown. We generated a catalog of sex differences in gene expression and in the genetic regulation of gene expression across 44 human tissue sources surveyed by the Genotype-Tissue Expression project (GTEx, v8 release). We demonstrate that sex influences gene expression levels and cellular composition of tissue samples across the human body. A total of 37% of all genes exhibit sex-biased expression in at least one tissue. We identify cis expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) with sex-differentiated effects and characterize their cellular origin. By integrating sex-biased eQTLs with genome-wide association study data, we identify 58 gene-trait associations that are driven by genetic regulation of gene expression in a single sex. These findings provide an extensive characterization of sex differences in the human transcriptome and its genetic regulation.
Copyright © 2020 The Authors, some rights reserved; exclusive licensee American Association for the Advancement of Science. No claim to original U.S. Government Works.
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Comment in
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Searching for sex differences.Science. 2020 Sep 11;369(6509):1298-1299. doi: 10.1126/science.abd8340. Science. 2020. PMID: 32913086 No abstract available.
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Reaching completion for GTEx.Nat Rev Genet. 2020 Dec;21(12):717. doi: 10.1038/s41576-020-00296-7. Nat Rev Genet. 2020. PMID: 33060849 No abstract available.
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Ubiquitous sex differences in tissue gene expression: the dawn of a new era for gender medicine.Eur Heart J. 2020 Nov 7;41(42):4090-4091. doi: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehaa877. Eur Heart J. 2020. PMID: 33245328 No abstract available.
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