From the cradle to the grave, males do worse when they have a disease compared to females. Newborn babies display significant differences between genders in many different diseases, especially when they are born prematurely. Brain damage, stillbirth, and infections are more common in baby boys. The way in which these differences occur has been incompletely explored. It has been suggested that there are genetic differences attributable to the X-chromosome which allow females to do better in various disease states. The role of hormones may result in differences in the function of certain immune cells and this may be extremely important in producing the differences between genders in infants.
In this study, we wish to examine the effects of a principal hormone, estradiol, on cells of the immune system from newborns and adults. We have previously shown that certain immune genes have higher expression in baby girls, and we aim to investigate if the corresponding protein levels are also higher. Investigation into the immune responses in the gender differences in newborns may yield valuable information.
