• UGI USER
  • Feb 15, 2024
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THE ROLE OF X CHROMOSOME IN AUTO-IMMUNE DISEASES

Focus:

  • Recent focus on X chromosome’s role in autoimmune diseases.
  • Research suggests XIST molecule involvement.

About Auto- Immune Disease:

  • When the body’s natural defence mechanism can’t distinguish between your cells and alien cells, it develops a condition called autoimmune disease and unintentionally attacks healthy cells.
  • Study Findings :A 2023 University of Oxford study found that 10% of the population studied had autoimmune diseases, with 13% women and 7% men affected.
  • Role of X Chromosome: Women, having two X chromosomes, exhibit a molecular coating crucial for X-chromosome inactivation, ensuring gene regulation.

Common Auto-immune diseases

  • Psoriasis: The causes skin cells to multiply too quickly
  • Rheumatoid arthritis: The immune system attacks the joints.
  • Addison’s disease: It affects the adrenal glands, which produce the hormones cortisol and aldosterone
  • Graves’ disease: It attacks the thyroid gland in the neck.
What is Molecule?

·   XIST is an RNA molecule crucial for X-chromosome inactivation, a process where one of the two X chromosomes in female mammals becomes transcriptionally silent.

·  It plays a key role in choosing which X chromosome remains active and in initiating gene silencing on the inactive X chromosome.