Evidence mapPaperPMID 41866299Full record

ArticleEndocrinology2026

Biological sex affects human islet gene expression and mitochondrial function in type 2 diabetes.

Sing-Young Chen, Haoning Howard Cen, Charlotte F Chao, Andrew R Pepper, James D Johnson, Elizabeth J Rideout

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Endocrinology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing 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

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Sing-Young ChenLife Sciences Institute, Department of Cellular and Physiological Sciences, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.ORCID 0000-0001-5258-8254
Haoning Howard CenLife Sciences Institute, Department of Cellular and Physiological Sciences, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.ORCID 0000-0001-8045-1335
Charlotte F ChaoLife Sciences Institute, Department of Cellular and Physiological Sciences, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
Andrew R PepperDepartment of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-2227-4446
James D JohnsonLife Sciences Institute, Department of Cellular and Physiological Sciences, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-7523-9433
Elizabeth J RideoutLife Sciences Institute, Department of Cellular and Physiological Sciences, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.ORCID 0000-0003-0012-2828

Funding

Breakthrough Type 1 DiabetesCanadian Institute of Health ResearchCIHR AWD-024144 BRET1DCA 2022CIHR GS4-171365Diabetes Canada OG-3-22-5646-ERJDRFMichael Smith Health Research BC #3-COE-2022-1103-M-BStem Cell NetworkUBC
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The clinical characteristics of type 2 diabetes (T2D) differ between the sexes. For example, the risk of T2D is higher in males than in premenopausal females, whereas the risk of T2D-associated cardiovascular disease is higher in females. Notwithstanding, the sex-dependent mechanisms of T2D pathogenesis remain incompletely understood. Publicly available human islet datasets, such as HPAP and Humanislets.com, are valuable tools for uncovering the impact of biological sex on islet structure, gene expression, and function at a scale that was not previously possible. We performed integrated analyses of data from public sources to identify sex differences in baseline islet characteristics in donors without diabetes and also in donors who lived with T2D. Among donors without diabetes, female islets had a greater proportion of alpha-cells compared with male islets and showed enriched expression of ribosomal and mitochondrial pathways in both beta-cells and alpha-cells. Measurements of mitochondrial function in female islets revealed lower spare respiratory capacity compared with male islets. Male and female islets had distinct changes in gene and protein expression in the context of T2D with female islets having greater preservation of insulin content and fewer defects in islet function. Together, these data show female islets have fewer impairments in T2D. This highlights the need for detailed mechanistic studies in both sexes to support effective and sex-informed interventions for T2D.

Indexed as

Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2Islets of LangerhansMitochondriaFemaleGene ExpressionGlucagon-Secreting CellsHumansInsulinInsulin-Secreting CellsMaleSex CharacteristicsSex FactorsInsulinalpha-cellbeta-cellinsulinpancreatic isletsex differencesType 2 diabetes

Identifiers

PMID41866299
PMCPMC13098675

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
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.