Differential associations between relationship stressors and natural killer cell gene expression by race/ethnicity and sex among older U.S. adults

IF 7.6 2区 医学 Q1 IMMUNOLOGY
Mariana Rodrigues , Jemar R. Bather , Adolfo G. Cuevas
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Abstract

Close interpersonal relationships can shape health, in part, through immune-related biological pathways. While chronic relational stress has been linked to inflammation and immune dysregulation, little is known about how such stressors relate to transcriptional markers of innate immune activity. As such, we investigated whether multiple forms of relationship stress were associated with altered expression of two genes related to natural killer cell function, FCGR3A and NCAM1, and whether these associations varied by sex or race/ethnicity. Data were drawn from the Midlife in the United States study, a population-based sample of midlife adults (n = 1,215) who provided whole-transcriptome RNA sequencing data and completed validated relationship stress measures. Covariate-adjusted linear mixed effects models, which included random intercepts for study site, quantified the associations of each stress domain z-score with log2(FCGR3A) and log2(NCAM1), and tested for moderation by sex and race/ethnicity. While males maintained relatively stable expression across stress domains, females showed significant positive associations between FCGR3A expression and both marital risk and spouse/partner strain. For participants in the non-Hispanic Other group, higher friend and cumulative strain was significantly associated with elevated FCGR3A expression. This group also exhibited significant NCAM1 upregulation in response to family, friend, and cumulative strain. In contrast, Hispanic participants showed a non-significant trend toward NCAM1 downregulation under relationship strain, but not significant changes in FCGR3A. These findings suggest that relationship stress may be differentially biologically embedded through changes in innate immune gene expression across demographic groups, highlighting the importance of social context in shaping transcriptional markers of immune function. Further research is needed to clarify whether these patterns confer adaptive immune readiness or contribute to long-term immune dysregulation.
在美国老年人中,按种族/民族和性别划分的关系压力源和自然杀伤细胞基因表达之间的差异关联
密切的人际关系在一定程度上可以通过与免疫有关的生物学途径影响健康。虽然慢性关系压力与炎症和免疫失调有关,但人们对这些压力源与先天免疫活性的转录标记物之间的关系知之甚少。因此,我们研究了多种形式的关系压力是否与两个与自然杀伤细胞功能相关的基因FCGR3A和NCAM1的表达改变有关,以及这些关联是否因性别或种族/民族而异。数据来自美国的中年研究,这是一项基于人群的中年成年人样本(n = 1,215),提供了全转录组RNA测序数据,并完成了经过验证的关系压力测量。协变量调整的线性混合效应模型,包括研究地点的随机截距,量化了每个应力域z分数与log2(FCGR3A)和log2(NCAM1)的关联,并测试了性别和种族/民族的调节作用。男性在应激域的表达相对稳定,而女性的FCGR3A表达与婚姻风险和配偶/伴侣压力呈显著正相关。对于非西班牙裔Other组的参与者,较高的friend和累积菌株与升高的FCGR3A表达显著相关。该组在家庭、朋友和累积压力下也表现出显著的NCAM1上调。相比之下,西班牙裔参与者在关系紧张下NCAM1的下调趋势不显著,但FCGR3A的变化不显著。这些发现表明,人际关系压力可能通过不同人口统计学群体先天免疫基因表达的变化而在生物学上存在差异,这突出了社会背景在形成免疫功能转录标记方面的重要性。需要进一步的研究来阐明这些模式是赋予适应性免疫准备还是导致长期免疫失调。
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来源期刊
CiteScore
29.60
自引率
2.00%
发文量
290
审稿时长
28 days
期刊介绍: Established in 1987, Brain, Behavior, and Immunity proudly serves as the official journal of the Psychoneuroimmunology Research Society (PNIRS). This pioneering journal is dedicated to publishing peer-reviewed basic, experimental, and clinical studies that explore the intricate interactions among behavioral, neural, endocrine, and immune systems in both humans and animals. As an international and interdisciplinary platform, Brain, Behavior, and Immunity focuses on original research spanning neuroscience, immunology, integrative physiology, behavioral biology, psychiatry, psychology, and clinical medicine. The journal is inclusive of research conducted at various levels, including molecular, cellular, social, and whole organism perspectives. With a commitment to efficiency, the journal facilitates online submission and review, ensuring timely publication of experimental results. Manuscripts typically undergo peer review and are returned to authors within 30 days of submission. It's worth noting that Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, published eight times a year, does not impose submission fees or page charges, fostering an open and accessible platform for scientific discourse.
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