据Markle JG 2013年1月17日(Science,2013 Jan 17)报道,在小鼠中,各种各样的居住在肠道中的微生物可影响性激素的水平并转而出现1型糖尿病这一自身免疫性疾病。这些发现可能会提供线索让人们了解为什么像多发性硬化及类风湿关节炎等自身免疫性疾病在女性中往往要比在男性中更为常见。人们公认,遗传因素及环境因素都促成了一个人对自身免疫性疾病的易感性,但人们对可能起作用的特定环境影响并不十分了解。Markle JG及其同事希望从发生1型糖尿病的“NOD”系小鼠寻求启示。在通常的情况下,雌性小鼠比雄性对自身免疫性疾病更加易感,雄性似乎因为有较高的睾酮水平而得到保护。但是,这种差异在NOD小鼠于无菌环境下长大时则消失了。在发病之前, According to Markle JG, January 17, 2013 (Science, 2013 Jan 17), a variety of microorganisms residing in the intestine in mice affect the level of sex hormones and turn to autoimmune type 1 diabetes Sexually transmitted diseases. These findings may provide clues to let people know why autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis are often more common in women than in men. It is accepted that both genetic and environmental factors contribute to a person’s susceptibility to autoimmune diseases, but people are not well aware of the specific environmental impacts that may be working. Markle JG and colleagues hope to find inspiration from the “NOD” mice that develop type 1 diabetes. Under normal circumstances, female mice are more susceptible to autoimmune diseases than males, and males appear to be protected by higher testosterone levels. However, this difference disappeared when NOD mice grew up in a sterile environment. Before the onset,