Hepatic gene expression and malaria

Testosterone makes mice, which are otherwise resistant, susceptible to the mouse malaria Plasmodium chabaudi. Delić and colleagues studied the hepatic gene expression profiles of female mice treated with testosterone which were later challenged with P. chabaudi-infected erythrocytes. Using affymetrix microarray technology, they found that the expression of 54 out of 14000 genes examined was found to be permanently changed by testosterone. Genes affected were mostly those involved with liver metabolism, and also the immune response and hepatocellular carcinogenesis. Notably, female-prevalent genes were downregulated and male-prevalent genes upregulated, indicating a masculinization of liver metabolism. This could be linked to a decreased capacity to detoxify substances, explaining the susceptibility to malaria. Read the full article in Delić et al. (2010) Journal of Molecular Endocrinology 45 379-390.

DOI: 10.1677/JME-10-0026