RNA sequencing of circulating neutrophils from 21 healthy adult women and 18 healthy adult men revealed that the females had activated, mature neutrophils characterized by enhanced proinflammatory genes and responses to inflammatory stimuli, whereas neutrophils from males were less mature and exhibited increased mitochondrial metabolism; further, assessments of proinflammatory genes in purified neutrophils from 12 healthy children, aged 4-12 years, and from 17 males, aged 19-56 years, with Klinefelter syndrome suggested that sex hormones may drive differences between neutrophils in males and females, according to the authors.
Article #20-03603: "Sex differences in neutrophil biology modulate response to type I interferons and immunometabolism," by Sarthak Gupta et al.
MEDIA CONTACT: Trish Reynolds, National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, Bethesda, MD; email: reynoldsp2@mail.nih.gov
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Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences