TY  -  JOUR
AU  -  Caputo, Valerio
AU  -  Cascella, Raffaella
AU  -  Strafella, Claudia
AU  -  Giardina, Emiliano
AU  -  Novelli, Giuseppe
T1  -  Gender and complex diseases: insights into sex-specific epigenetics
PY  -  2018
Y1  -  2018-07-01
DO  -  10.1723/3035.30354
JO  -  The Italian Journal of Gender-Specific Medicine
JA  -  Ital J Gender-Specific Med
VL  -  4
IS  -  3
SP  -  108
EP  -  113
PB  -  Il Pensiero Scientifico Editore
SN  -  2612-3487
Y2  -  2026/04/30
UR  -  http://dx.doi.org/10.1723/3035.30354
N2  -  Summary. Gender is responsible for lifetime differences between males and females, conferring variable severity and susceptibility to complex diseases. The different genetic architecture between men and women can be found in human complex traits in relation to the onset of diseases such as glioma and Alzheimer’s disease (AD). However, epigenetic events occurring soon after fertilization and modulated over a lifetime in response to external conditions may contribute as well. Besides an illustration of the epigenetic mechanisms involved in sexual differentiation, an overview of the knowledge concerning sex-specific epigenetics is provided for cardiovascular diseases, neurological disorders and cancer, given their dramatic impact on patients’ quality of life. Knowledge of gender-related epigenetics needs more focus and, in this regard, the possibility of applying next generation approaches will provide a comprehensive overview of sex-related differences. The combination of genetic and epigenetic information with molecular and phenotypic data will improve the knowledge of different complex disorders and enable identification of diagnostic, therapeutic, prognostic and predictive biomarkers.
ER  -