"Males and females share the same genetic code, but our findings imply that gender regulates how quickly the body can convert DNA to proteins. This suggests that gender influences how disease develops," Yang explained.
"This research holds important information for understanding disorders such as diabetes, heart disease and obesity, and identifies targets for the development of gender-specific therapies," Jake Lusis, study co-author and a professor of human genetics at UCLA, said in a prepared statement.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has more about gender differences.
New research into embryonic stem cells suggests great potential for medical advances but also confirms that big breakthroughs aren't waiting just around the corner.
Scientists at the University of California, Los Angeles, reported this week that they coaxed stem cells into becoming T-cells, a crucial part of the immune system. If T-cells could be manufactured, doctors would have a powerful new weapon against AIDS and other diseases at their disposal, the investigators said.
But the research "is not ready for prime time," cautioned study co-author Dr. Jerome Zack, a UCLA professor of medicine, microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics. It will take several years just to prepare for testing in humans, and even that process will take a while, he said.
Still, "the potential is huge," Zack said. "We have to see if it lives up to that potential."
At the center of the research are embryonic stem cells, which have been hugely controversial in recent years. Stem cells have the ability to transform themselves into a variety of cells, a fact that thrills scientists who think their manipulation could restore or boost ailing parts of the body.
In the new research, Zack and colleagues tested what happened when blood-forming stem cells were injected into a human thymus that had been implanted into a mouse.
The findings of the federally funded study were released in this week's issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The thymus, part of the human immune system, converted the stem cells into T-cells.
In another positive sign, the research suggests that scientists can piggyback a gene onto stem cells, delivering it to a diseased organ.
That ability would allow a treatment to not only create new immune cells but also target a diseased part of the body with gene therapy, Zack explained.
Potentially, the stem-cell therapy could fight any disease that robs the immune system of its ability to function properly.
There are hurdles to overcome. For one, the body may reject the stem cells. Also, government restrictions on stem cell research may pose problems because of the limitations of existing stem cell lines, Zack said.
Still, it's possible that the research could lead to ways to use adult stem cells to create T-cells, said Paul Sanberg, director of the Center of Excellence for Aging and Brain Repair at the University of South Florida.
"The caveat in all of these types of studies is that it is still an early laboratory study, and does not mean that this is a treatment," he said. The public should "realize that such treatments may be years away."
More information
Learn more about stem cells from the National Institutes of Health .
