# Epigenetic regulation of sexually dimorphic immune responses in keratinocytes

> **NIH NIH R21** · UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR · 2021 · $205,920

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Dysregulation of inflammatory responses are observed in a variety of cutaneous diseases, including
autoimmune diseases and infections. A striking feature of these conditions is sexual dimorphism relating to the
differential incident rates of these diseases between women and men. Understanding the underlying
mechanism for the sex-biased inflammatory responses can point towards previously unappreciated pathways
that are critical in regulating immune responses, and therefor can lead to development of sex-specific
therapeutic approaches. Current data on the effect of sex-hormones and sex-chromosome regulatory genes
insufficiently explain these biologic differences between men and women. We have recently identified
differential epigenetic modifications between male and female keratinocytes, setting the stage for our
hypothesis that sexually dimorphic epigenetic modifications in keratinocytes affect immune gene
transcription and responses. The objective of this project is to identify and target epigenetic modifications
that drive sexually dimorphic immune responses, allowing future development of precision therapies for
inflammatory skin disorders. Upon the successful completion of this project, we will have characterized
epigenetic differences between skin cells in women and men, determined the contribution of these sex-biased
epigenetic modifications to immunological responses, and assessed whether they could serve as therapeutic
targets for future treatment of immune mediated skin disorders.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10215655
- **Project number:** 1R21AR077741-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR
- **Principal Investigator:** Johann Eli Gudjonsson
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $205,920
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2021-04-05 → 2023-02-28

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10215655

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10215655, Epigenetic regulation of sexually dimorphic immune responses in keratinocytes (1R21AR077741-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10215655. Licensed CC0.

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