According to a study, published in the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) mosaic loss of Y chromosome, or mLOY increases the risk of developing heart failure and cardiac fibrosis in men as they age. Additionally, it was observed that neutralizing antibodies could change some of these cardiac impacts caused by mLOY.

Increased mortality, cardiovascular disease, and other age-related illnesses have been connected to mLOY in blood cells, which is the most commonly acquired mutation in the males genome. But, the relationship between mLOY and pathogenesis has not yet been proved. Hence to study the link, the scientists designed a mouse model of hematopoietic mLOY in their bone marrow with cells lacking the Y chromosome. The mLOY macrophages from the bone marrow that penetrate the heart cause high levels of transforming growth factor-1 (TGF-1) activation, which accelerates the fibrosis of the cardiac tissue. It has been demonstrated that treatment with a TGF-1 neutralising antibody can lessen these negative effects.

Additionally, a prospective study in human patients revealed that people with mLOY in blood were also at an increased risk for cardiovascular dysfunction and associated mortality which supports the results from the mouse model which states the importance of the Y chromosome in preserving a healthy innate immune system, but more studies are needed to clarify the mechanisms. (News-medical.net; Jul 16 2022)