Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39804630›Full record

ArticleInvestigative ophthalmology & visual science2025

A Comprehensive Analysis of Sex-Biased Gene Expression in the Aging Human Retina Through a Combination of Single-Cell and Bulk RNA Sequencing.

Hongling Liu, Xue Zhang, Qing Wang, Bowen Li, Baishijiao Bian, Yong Liu

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Investigative ophthalmology & visual science, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
8citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

8 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Selective deletion ofiScience · 2026
    Article
  6. Understanding TAK1 deficiency in microglia: Dual mechanisms for photoreceptor protection in a mouse model of retinitis pigmentosa.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2025
    Article
  7. Article
  8. Observational
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Hongling LiuSouthwest Hospital/Southwest Eye Hospital, Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University), Chongqing, China.
Xue ZhangSouthwest Hospital/Southwest Eye Hospital, Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University), Chongqing, China.
Qing WangSouthwest Hospital/Southwest Eye Hospital, Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University), Chongqing, China.
Bowen LiSouthwest Hospital/Southwest Eye Hospital, Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University), Chongqing, China.
Baishijiao BianSouthwest Hospital/Southwest Eye Hospital, Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University), Chongqing, China.
Yong LiuSouthwest Hospital/Southwest Eye Hospital, Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University), Chongqing, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Purpose: Previous studies have reported divergent sexual responses to aging; however, specific variations in gene expression between aging males and females and their potential association with age-related retinal diseases remain unclear. This study collected data from public databases and developed a comprehensive comparison of retina between aging females and males. Methods: Single-cell RNA (scRNA) and bulk RNA sequencing data of the aging retina from females and males in public databases were utilized for integrated analysis to investigate sex-biased expression in retina. Additionally, in vitro experiments were conducted on individuals with retinitis pigmentosa (RP) to validate the sex difference in degenerative retina. Results: Bulk RNA analysis revealed sex-biased expression of specific genes in retina of aging individuals, with immune pathway-related genes exhibiting higher expression in females compared to males. The scRNA analysis demonstrated that sex-biased gene expression was cell-type specific in aging retina. Furthermore, susceptibility genes for age-related macular degeneration and RP exhibited variation across different cell types and sexes. Cell-to-cell communication unveiled an increased interaction associated with TGFB1, CCL7, and VEGFA in Müller glia, microglia, and astrocytes of female retina. Notably, we observed female-biased chemokine expression in microglia contributing to heightened susceptibility to immune inflammation in female retina. Finally, we confirmed a more pronounced inflammatory response during degeneration in female rd10 mouse retina compared to males. Conclusions: This study provides a comprehensive comparison of retina between females and males in healthy aging human retina and highlights the significance of sex as an influential factor in retinal diseases.

Indexed as

AgingGene Expression RegulationRetinaAdultAgedAged, 80 and overAnimalsFemaleHumansMaleMiceMiddle AgedSequence Analysis, RNASex FactorsSingle-Cell Analysis

Identifiers

PMID39804630
PMCPMC11734759

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.