Microarray analysis of sexually dimorphic gene expression in human minor salivary glands

We hypothesized that differential mRNA transcription between the sexes may be linked to the 9:1 female-to-male gender-related relative risk for the development of Sjögren's syndrome (SS), an autoimmune disease that leads to inflammation and dysfunction in the lachrymal and salivary glands.

RNA from minor salivary glands was collected from nine healthy volunteers (four men and five women) and analyzed using the Agilent 4 × 44K human microarray platform. Differential expression was confirmed by qRT-PCR.

Comparison of the transcriptome of minor salivary glands from normal male and female volunteers with that of salivary glands and secretory epithelia identified a number of gender, species, and tissue-specific gene expression patterns. These differences include, but are not limited to, a diverse set of genes involved in immune modulation, chemotactic control, inhibition of complement, metabolism, and neurogenesis.

Analysis of these changes provides insight into the protective and predisposing molecular factors that may be involved in the development of Sjögren's syndrome. Some of the gene changes observed in this study correlate with previously observed sexual dimorphisms in salivary gland function and also illustrate several new targets for further investigation.