Cancer affects men and women differently, but we know little about the molecular causes underlying this difference. A study published Wednesday in Science Advances involving fruit flies has identified possible regulators that determine sex-based differences in tumors.
“We have identified possible regulators responsible for tumor differences between male and female flies,” says senior author Cayetano González of IRB Barcelona. “The results also show that these genes could be potential targets to neutralize their degree of malignancy.”
Epidemiological studies have shown that there are notable differences in the degree of incidence and survival of cancer between men and women, even in tumors that are not related to reproductive organs. This is the case, for example, in certain types of brain tumor—even in the case of children, for which the influence of risk habits can be ruled out.
González and his team compared the development of experimental tumors induced in the brains of male and female flies. They observed that the former tumors were more aggressive and identified numerous proteins whose expression was markedly higher in tumor cells of male flies compared to females.
Among the proteins identified in this study was Phf7, a protein that is also found in humans. Phf7 is present in tumor cells in males and absent in tumor cells in females. The team found that by removing this protein in male flies, the aggressiveness of the tumors was markedly reduced, reaching levels similar to those present in female flies.
“Our results show that the proteins responsible for the differences in tumors between males and females can be regulated to reduce the degree of malignancy that is associated with the sex of the individual affected,” explains first author Cristina Molnar of IRB Barcelona.
“Understanding the molecular basis responsible for the sex-related differences in the incidence and development of cancer may allow us to find specific treatments for men and women,” González adds.
Image: Differences between tumors in male and female vinegar flies. Image courtesy of Cayetano González, IRB Barcelona.