TY  -  JOUR
AU  -  Tarabbia, Cristina
AU  -  Montori, Sara
AU  -  Garutti, Paola
T1  -  Sex differences in molecular pathways of human papillomavirus (HPV) and HPV-related diseases: do sex and gender matter?
PY  -  2018
Y1  -  2018-10-01
DO  -  10.1723/3091.30835
JO  -  The Italian Journal of Gender-Specific Medicine
JA  -  Ital J Gender-Specific Med
VL  -  4
IS  -  4
SP  -  142
EP  -  151
PB  -  Il Pensiero Scientifico Editore
SN  -  2612-3487
Y2  -  2026/08/20
UR  -  http://dx.doi.org/10.1723/3091.30835
N2  -  Summary. Human papilloma viruses (HPVs) are responsible for transient or persistent infections affecting human epithelia and mucosa and have been recognized as causal agents of 5% of malignancies in both sexes worldwide. Cultural factors, lifestyles, and social and relational behaviours play an important role in the different exposure and transmission of viruses between men and women, but the stages concerning HPV infection are deeply influenced by biological sex. Genetic, hormonal and epigenetic factors are the key components underlying the molecular dialogue between viruses and the host cells, in a sex-biased manner. Sex steroids are the most investigated ones, because of their receptor-dependent regulatory activity on the mechanisms of viral recognition and acquisition, on the morpho-functional phenotype of immune cells, and on the molecular processes of HPV-related persistence and carcinogenesis. Furthermore, the gonadal hormones seem to synergize with the complex microenvironment surrounding the HPV infection site, which is rich in resident cells, extracellular molecules and bacterial components of the microbiota. The in-depth knowledge of gender-specific molecular pathways involved in HPV infection, in viral persistence and in carcinogenetic processes could lead to the identification of more adequate therapeutic targets for men and women and of gender-oriented preventive strategies in HPV infections.
ER  -