Does Gender Leave an Epigenetic Imprint on the Brain?

被引:28
作者
Cortes, Laura R. [1 ]
Cisternas, Carla D. [1 ]
Forger, Nancy G. [1 ]
机构
[1] Georgia State Univ, Inst Neurosci, Atlanta, GA 30303 USA
关键词
sex; gender; epigenetics; stress; cosmetics; alcohol; ESTROGEN-RECEPTOR-ALPHA; DNA METHYLATION; SEX-DIFFERENCES; ALCOHOL-CONSUMPTION; GENE-EXPRESSION; ETHANOL INTAKE; EXPOSURE; RATS; DIFFERENTIATION; PATTERNS;
D O I
10.3389/fnins.2019.00173
中图分类号
Q189 [神经科学];
学科分类号
071006 ;
摘要
The words "sex" and "gender" are often used interchangeably in common usage. In fact, the Merriam-Webster dictionary offers "sex" as the definition of gender. The authors of this review are neuroscientists, and the words "sex" and "gender" mean very different things to us: sex is based on biological factors such as sex chromosomes and gonads, whereas gender has a social component and involves differential expectations or treatment by conspecifics, based on an individual's perceived sex. While we are accustomed to thinking about "sex" and differences between males and females in epigenetic marks in the brain, we are much less used to thinking about the biological implications of gender. Nonetheless, careful consideration of the field of epigenetics leads us to conclude that gender must also leave an epigenetic imprint on the brain. Indeed, it would be strange if this were not the case, because all environmental influences of any import can epigenetically change the brain. In the following pages, we explain why there is now sufficient evidence to suggest that an epigenetic imprint for gender is a logical conclusion. We define our terms for sex, gender, and epigenetics, and describe research demonstrating sex differences in epigenetic mechanisms in the brain which, to date, is mainly based on work in non-human animals. We then give several examples of how gender, rather than sex, may cause the brain epigenome to differ in males and females, and finally consider the myriad of ways that sex and gender interact to shape gene expression in the brain.
引用
收藏
页数:7
相关论文
共 88 条
[41]   Epigenetic Regulation of the Kappa Opioid Receptor by Child Abuse [J].
Lutz, Pierre-Eric ;
Gross, Jeffrey A. ;
Dhir, Sabine K. ;
Maussion, Gilles ;
Yang, Jennie ;
Bramoulle, Alexandre ;
Meaney, Michael J. ;
Turecki, Gustavo .
BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY, 2018, 84 (10) :751-761
[42]   Histone Deacetylation during Brain Development Is Essential for Permanent Masculinization of Sexual Behavior [J].
Matsuda, Ken Ichi ;
Mori, Hiroko ;
Nugent, Bridget M. ;
Pfaff, Donald W. ;
McCarthy, Margaret M. ;
Kawata, Mitsuhiro .
ENDOCRINOLOGY, 2011, 152 (07) :2760-2767
[43]  
Maynard-Smith, 1978, EVOLUTION SEX
[44]  
McCarthy MM, 2017, HORMONES, BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR, VOL 5: DEVELOPMENT OF HORMONE-BEHAVIOR RELATIONSHIPS, 3RD EDITION, P3, DOI 10.1016/B978-0-12-803592-4.00091-2
[45]   At the frontier of epigenetics of brain sex differences [J].
McCarthy, Margaret M. ;
Nugent, Bridget M. .
FRONTIERS IN BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE, 2015, 9
[46]   The Epigenetics of Sex Differences in the Brain [J].
McCarthy, Margaret M. ;
Auger, Anthony P. ;
Bale, Tracy L. ;
De Vries, Geert J. ;
Dunn, Gregory A. ;
Forger, Nancy G. ;
Murray, Elaine K. ;
Nugent, Bridget M. ;
Schwarz, Jaclyn M. ;
Wilson, Melinda E. .
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE, 2009, 29 (41) :12815-12823
[47]   Distribution, Variability, and Predictors of Urinary Concentrations of Phenols and Parabens among Pregnant Women in Puerto Rico [J].
Meeker, John D. ;
Cantonwine, David E. ;
Rivera-Gonzalez, Luis O. ;
Ferguson, Kelly K. ;
Mukherjee, Bhramar ;
Calafat, Antonia M. ;
Ye, Xiaoyun ;
Del Toro, Liza V. Anzalota ;
Crespo-Hernandez, Noe ;
Jimenez-Velez, Braulio ;
Alshawabkeh, Akram N. ;
Cordero, Jose F. .
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY, 2013, 47 (07) :3439-3447
[48]   Hydroxymethylation of DNA influences nucleosomal conformation and stability in vitro [J].
Mendonca, Agnes ;
Chang, En Hyung ;
Liu, Wenjie ;
Yuan, Chongli .
BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-GENE REGULATORY MECHANISMS, 2014, 1839 (11) :1323-1329
[49]  
MOORE CL, 1985, J COMP PSYCHOL, V99, P336, DOI 10.1037/0735-7036.99.3.336
[50]   MOTHER RATS INTERACT DIFFERENTLY WITH MALE AND FEMALE OFFSPRING [J].
MOORE, CL ;
MORELLI, GA .
JOURNAL OF COMPARATIVE AND PHYSIOLOGICAL PSYCHOLOGY, 1979, 93 (04) :677-684