Loss of the Y chromosome in coronary artery disease

Graphical AbstractLoss of the Y chromosome (LOY) in blood accelerates the progression of cardiovascular disease in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). Weyrich et al. analysed blood samples from male patients with CAD and found that those with >17% LOY in white blood cells had an increased risk of cardiovascular mortality and fatal myocardial infarction. The authors further observed that immune cells with LOY exhibited decreased expression of RPS5, and the serum from patients with higher levels of LOY contained elevated levels of proinflammatory and profibrotic molecules. Additionally, the culture supernatant from RPS5-knockdown THP-1 cells was shown to activate human cardiac fibroblasts, inducing their transition to a more profibrotic myofibroblast phenotype.Open in new tabDownload slide