Department of Neurology and M.I.N.D. Institute, University of California at Davis, Sacramento, CA 95817, USA.
Transl Stroke Res. 2011 Jun;2(2):171-8. doi: 10.1007/s12975-011-0066-4.
The mechanisms underlying gender differences in stroke incidence, risk, and outcome are uncertain. We sought to determine whether transcriptional profiles of circulating blood cells of men and women differentially correlated with carotid artery intima-media thickness (CIMT), a predictor of atherosclerosis and stroke risk. Gene expression in whole blood was measured using Affymetrix expression arrays in men (n=17) and women (n=35), aged 45-64 years, with at least one risk factor for stroke. Mean average CIMT was measured using B-mode ultrasound. Expression levels of 746 genes positively and 292 genes negatively correlated with CIMT only in women (p<0.05); 881 genes positively and 597 genes negatively correlated with CIMT only in men (p<0.05). Forty-one genes correlated with CIMT in men and women, but in opposite directions. These genes were associated with estrogen, cholesterol and lipid metabolism, inflammation, coagulation, and vasoreactivity. This pilot study provides the first proof of principle that gene expression in blood cells correlates with CIMT. These results point to potential pathophysiological mechanisms underlying sex differences in stroke risk. Since the sample size is small, the findings are preliminary and need to be confirmed in independent, larger studies.
男性和女性在中风发病率、风险和结果方面存在差异的机制尚不清楚。我们试图确定循环血细胞的转录谱是否与颈动脉内膜中层厚度（CIMT）相关，CIMT 是动脉粥样硬化和中风风险的预测指标。使用 Affymetrix 表达谱芯片在年龄在 45-64 岁之间、至少有一个中风风险因素的男性（n=17）和女性（n=35）中测量了全血中的基因表达。使用 B 型超声测量平均 CIMT。只有女性的 746 个基因的表达水平与 CIMT 呈正相关，292 个基因的表达水平与 CIMT 呈负相关（p<0.05）；只有男性的 881 个基因的表达水平与 CIMT 呈正相关，597 个基因的表达水平与 CIMT 呈负相关（p<0.05）。有 41 个基因与男性和女性的 CIMT 相关，但方向相反。这些基因与雌激素、胆固醇和脂质代谢、炎症、凝血和血管反应性有关。这项初步研究首次提供了血液细胞中的基因表达与 CIMT 相关的原理证明。这些结果指出了中风风险中性别差异的潜在病理生理机制。由于样本量较小，这些发现是初步的，需要在独立的更大规模研究中得到证实。
