Key points from article :
The Y chromosome can be lost through the process of aging, and this can lead to an increased risk of heart failure and cardiovascular disease.
DNA-editing tool CRISPR was used to introduce breaks into the Y chromosome DNA of white blood cells in mice, destroying and eliminating the Y chromosome.
Treating the mice with a drug that blocks heart scarring, however, was able to restore lost heart function.
Data from the U.K. Biobank, a large database of medical and genetic data from 500,000 participants were analyzed.
Men who had lost their Y chromosomes had a 31% increased risk of dying from cardiovascular disease compared with men who hadn’t.
They are searching for specific genes that are lost with the Y chromosome that may be responsible for the disease-causing effects of Y chromosome loss.
The study was published in the journal Science.
