Numerous traits are either sex-specific or show sex differences, and underlying factors explain these sex differences may be due to differences in sex hormones, as well as genetics (for example, the number of copies of X and Y chromosome). Research has shown that sex hormone levels are important for many basic biological functions, and are critical for development and across the body systems (e.g. brain, cardiovascular system, immune system, etc). Sex hormones have been implicated in many common complex diseases and traits, including neurological and psychiatric traits, and various cancers (e.g. breast, ovarian, and prostate cancer); These traits often have known genetic etiologies, and sex hormone levels themselves are under genetic control. Using the rich population dataset from the UK Biobank, we can examine the intersection of sex, hormones, genetics, and complex traits. Specifically, we will:
1. Investigate the phenotypic relationship between sex hormones and complex traits, and whether sex hormones mediate or moderate relationships between risk factors and complex traits.
2. Investigate the genetic etiology of sex hormones (and other related steroid hormones and biomarkers), and how genetic architecture of sex hormones is related to complex traits.
We expect our research to improve understanding of the etiology of sex hormones, including their associations and influence on common disease and complex traits, and genetic factors that influence sex steroid hormone levels, which may ultimately improve clinical risk assessment and prediction of prognosis and treatment response across many sex-specific conditions or conditions with known sex-differences.
