title: Coronary Artery Disease: Why We should Consider the Y Chromosome.
abstract: Coronary artery disease (CAD) is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality globally. In the last few years our understanding of the genetic and molecular mechanisms that promote CAD in individuals has increased with the advent of the genome era. This complex inflammatory disease has well-defined environmental risk factors. However, in the last 10 years, studies including genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have clearly demonstrated a genetic influence on CAD. Recently, studies on the human Y chromosome have also demonstrated that genetic variation within the male-specific region of the Y chromosome (MSY) could play a part in determining cardiovascular risk in men, confirming the notion that the increased risk for CAD in men cannot be fully explained through common CAD risk factors. Here, we review the literature about the pathophysiology of CAD, its potential causes and environmental risk factors known so far. Furthermore, we review the genetics of CAD, especially the latest discoveries regarding the implication of the Y chromosome, the most underexplored portion of the human genome to date, highlighting methods and difficulties arising in this research field, and discussing the importance of considering the Y chromosome in CAD research.
authors.affiliation: School of Applied and Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Science and Technology, Federation University, Mount Helen Campus, Ballarat, Vic., Australia.
authors.forename: Elsa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Molina
authors.affiliation: School of Applied and Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Science and Technology, Federation University, Mount Helen Campus, Ballarat, Vic., Australia.
authors.forename: Elyse Michele
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Clarence
authors.affiliation: School of Applied and Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Science and Technology, Federation University, Mount Helen Campus, Ballarat, Vic., Australia.
authors.forename: Farah
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ahmady
authors.affiliation: School of Applied and Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Science and Technology, Federation University, Mount Helen Campus, Ballarat, Vic., Australia.
authors.forename: Guat Siew
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Chew
authors.affiliation: School of Applied and Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Science and Technology, Federation University, Mount Helen Campus, Ballarat, Vic., Australia. Electronic address: f.charchar@federation.edu.au.
authors.forename: Fadi Joseph
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Charchar
mesh_terms: D041322:Chromosomes, Human, Y / Q000235:genetics*; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D055106:Genome-Wide Association Study; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D012737:Sex Factors
keywords: Cardiovascular genetics; Sex; Sexual dimorphism; Y chromosome