Why does the immune system of men and women react differently? A shocking study has come to light.

Male vs Female Immunity: Research by the University of York has revealed that a gene could be the reason for the difference in immunity between men and women.

Male vs Female Immunity: If we talk about the immune system, why does it look different in men and women? Scientists were troubled for a long time to find this question. However, now researchers from the University of York have found an important answer to this. The answer is hidden in just one gene...

What is that unique gene?

Normally genes work to make proteins in our body. But Malat1 is different. It makes RNA and this RNA affects the immunity of women differently from men.

• Relationship between T-cells and allergies
• T cells make up a large part of the immune system. One special type of these is Th2 cells.
• These cells protect against infections (such as schistosomiasis).
• These same cells also give rise to diseases like severe allergies and asthma. 

An experiment done on mice 

The university team conducted experiments on mice and observed that when the Malat1 gene was removed, the Th2 cells of female mice could not develop properly. The surprising thing was that this problem was not seen at all in male mice.

Why are women more affected?

• This is why many autoimmune diseases, allergies, and diseases like severe asthma affect women more.
• More than 24 crore people in the world suffer from asthma, of which approximately 60 percent of serious patients are women.
• Similarly, diseases like schistosomiasis, which affects more than 200 million people, disproportionately affect girls and pregnant women. 

How can treatment be done? 

Professor Dimitris Lagos says that a "one-size-fits-all" approach to the immune system will no longer work. Treatment should be different for each gender. That is, if doctors understand how women's immune systems work with the help of genes, then they can treat women and men differently. However, now the team of researchers wants to repeat this study on human cells. Their aim is to understand how closely the Malat1 gene controls immunity.

 

A small gene shows why men and women respond differently to the same disease. This discovery is not just a breakthrough for science, but a new ray of hope for millions of patients.