BioCentury
ARTICLE | Translation in Brief

Autoimmunity’s sex bias

Why autoimmune diseases are more common in women than men

February 9, 2017 8:51 PM UTC

It’s well known that autoimmune diseases commonly affect more women than men, but the reason for the bias has been unclear. Now, a University of Michigan team thinks it’s cracked the mystery by pinpointing a transcription factor upregulated in women - vestigial like family member 3 (VGLL3) - that controls expression of several autoimmune-related genes.

According to study author Johann Gudjonsson, an assistant professor in the Department of Dermatology at UMich, the differential expression suggests the findings could pave the way to a better therapy for both sexes...