Genotypes and Haplotypes of the Estrogen Receptor α Gene (ESR1) Are Associated With Female-to-Male Gender Dysphoria

2017 
Abstract Introduction Gender dysphoria, a marked incongruence between one's experienced gender and biological sex, is commonly believed to arise from discrepant cerebral and genital sexual differentiation. With the discovery that estrogen receptor β is associated with female-to-male (FtM) but not with male-to-female (MtF) gender dysphoria, and given estrogen receptor α involvement in central nervous system masculinization, it was hypothesized that estrogen receptor α, encoded by the ESR1 gene, also might be implicated. Aim To investigate whether ESR1 polymorphisms (TA)n-rs3138774, Pvu II-rs2234693, and Xba I-rs9340799 and their haplotypes are associated with gender dysphoria in adults. Methods Molecular analysis was performed in peripheral blood samples from 183 FtM subjects, 184 MtF subjects, and 394 sex- and ethnically-matched controls. Main Outcome Measures Genotype and haplotype analyses of the (TA)n-rs3138774, Pvu II-rs2234693, and Xba I-rs9340799 polymorphisms. Results Allele and genotype frequencies for the polymorphism Xba I were statistically significant only in FtM vs control XX subjects ( P  = .021 and P  = .020). In XX individuals, the A/G genotype was associated with a low risk of gender dysphoria (odds ratio [OR] = 0.34; 95% CI = 0.16–0.74; P  = .011); in XY individuals, the A/A genotype implied a low risk of gender dysphoria (OR = 0.39; 95% CI = 0.17–0.89; P  = .008). Binary logistic regression showed partial effects for all three polymorphisms in FtM but not in MtF subjects. The three polymorphisms were in linkage disequilibrium: a small number of TA repeats was linked to the presence of Pvu II and Xba I restriction sites (haplotype S-T-A), and a large number of TA repeats was linked to the absence of these restriction sites (haplotype L-C-G). In XX individuals, the presence of haplotype L-C-G carried a low risk of gender dysphoria (OR = 0.66; 95% CI = 0.44–0.99; P  = .046), whereas the presence of haplotype L-C-A carried a high susceptibility to gender dysphoria (OR = 3.96; 95% CI = 1.04–15.02; P  = .044). Global haplotype was associated with FtM gender dysphoria ( P  = .017) but not with MtF gender dysphoria. Conclusions Xba I-rs9340799 is involved in FtM gender dysphoria in adults. Our findings suggest different genetic programs for gender dysphoria in men and women. Cortes-Cortes J, Fernandez R, Teijeiro N, et al. Genotypes and Haplotypes of the Estrogen Receptor α Gene ( ESR1 ) Are Associated With Female-to-Male Gender Dysphoria. J Sex Med 2017;14:464–472.
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