As Y Chromosomes Vanish With Age, Heart Risks May Grow

It’s been known for more than half a century that many men lose their Y chromosomes as they age. But no one knew if it really mattered. The loss of Y could just be a sign of aging, like gray hair, with no clinical relevance.

A new study using male mice genetically engineered to lose their Y chromosomes provides insight. The paper, published on Thursday in the journal Science, found that when the Y chromosome was gone from blood cells in those mice, scar tissue built up in the heart, leading to heart failure and a shortened life span.

At first the mice seemed fine, Dr. Walsh said, but “they aged poorly.” Their life spans were shortened and they developed scar tissue in their hearts, kidneys and lungs, including non-ischemic heart failure, a type that is not the result of a heart attack and whose cause is poorly understood. The animals’ mental abilities also were diminished.

(Click here to view the full article at nytimes.com)

Update - February 10, 2023. Added links to magazine article pdfs from AAAS, Page 1 and Page 2.

The University of Virginia’s top leaders gathered Wednesday evening at the Boar’s Head Resort to honor faculty members from across Grounds for their outstanding contributions to their fields of study and societal impact through their research and scholarly activities.

University of Virginia President Jim Ryan presented the 2019 Research Achievement Awards to 13 UVA faculty members at the dinner event.

(Click here to view the full article at news.virginia.edu)

BioTechniques interviews Dr. Walsh at the American Society for Human Genetics, ASHG 2019, (14-19 October 2019; Houston, TX, USA). Topic of conversation is Dr. Walsh's research into clonal hematopoiesis and its examination as a causal risk factor for cardiovascular disease that could rival conventional risk factors, such as hypertension and diabetes.

(Click here to view the full interview at BioTechniques.com)