Article
Author: Wong, Man Ying ; Zhu, Jingjie ; Torres, Eileen R. ; Carling, Gillian K. ; Yu, Fangmin ; Luo, Wenjie ; Fan, Li ; Zhu, Daphne ; Gan, Li ; Ijaz, Laraib ; Foxe, Nessa R. ; Dubal, Dena B. ; Norman, Kendra ; Chen, Hao ; Lopez-Lee, Chloe ; Ye, Pearly ; Liddelow, Shane A. ; Kodama, Lay ; Kim, Rachel D. ; Sinha, Subhash C.
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and other age-related disorders associated with demyelination exhibit sex differences. In this work, we used single-nuclei transcriptomics to dissect the contributions of sex chromosomes and gonads in demyelination and AD. In a mouse model of demyelination, we identified the roles of sex chromosomes and gonads in modifying microglia and oligodendrocyte responses before and after myelin loss. In an AD-related mouse model expressing APOE4, XY sex chromosomes heightened interferon (IFN) response and tau-induced demyelination. The X-linked gene, Toll-like receptor 7 (
Tlr7
), regulated sex-specific IFN response to myelin. Deletion of
Tlr7
dampened sex differences while protecting against demyelination. Administering TLR7 inhibitor mitigated tau-induced motor impairment and demyelination in male mice, indicating that
Tlr7
plays a role in the male-biased type I Interferon IFN response in aging- and AD-related demyelination.