Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 25, 2025
07:07
Lung microRNA Profiling Across the Estrous Cycle in Ozone-exposed Mice
Published on: January 7, 2019
6.3K
Sex-Specific Differences in MicroRNA Expression During Human Fetal Lung Development.
Nancy W Lin1,2, Cuining Liu2,3, Ivana V Yang2,4
1Division of Environmental and Occupational Health, National Jewish Health, Denver, CO, United States.
Frontiers in Genetics
|April 28, 2022
Summary
Sex-specific differences in microRNA (miRNA) expression exist in the developing human lung. These early developmental changes may influence later susceptibility to lung diseases.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Biology
- Genetics
- Pulmonology
Background:
- Sex-specific differences in fetal lung maturation are known.
- Chronic lung diseases in adults also exhibit sex-specific prevalence.
- The developmental origins of health and disease hypothesis links early development to later disease susceptibility.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate sex-specific differences in microRNA (miRNA) expression during human fetal lung development.
- To explore if these differences contribute to sex-specific pulmonary disease prevalence later in life.
Main Methods:
- MicroRNA sequencing was performed on human fetal lung tissue samples.
- Differential expression of miRNAs by sex was analyzed using negative binomial regression models (DESeq2).
- Sex-by-age interactions were assessed to identify age-dependent sex-specific miRNA patterns.
Main Results:
- MicroRNA expression profiles were generated from 298 human fetal lung samples (166 male, 132 female).
- 93 autosomal miRNAs were significantly differentially expressed between sexes during the pseudoglandular stage.
- 129 miRNAs showed sex-specific expression patterns across the pseudoglandular period.
Conclusions:
- Significant sex-specific differences in autosomal miRNA expression were found in the developing human lung.
- Age modifies miRNA expression in a sex-specific manner during lung development.
- These sex-specific miRNA expression patterns may underlie differences in lung development and disease susceptibility.
