X chromosome factor Kdm6a enhances memory independent of its demethylase function in the aging XY male brain

Abstract

Males exhibit shorter lifespan and more cognitive deficits in aging human populations. In mammals, the X chromosome is enriched for neural genes and is a major source of biologic sex difference, in part, because males show decreased expression of select X factors. While each sex (XX and XY) harbors one active X due to X chromosome inactivation in females, some genes, such as Kdm6a, transcriptionally escape silencing in females - resulting in lower levels in males. Kdm6a is a known histone demethylase (H3K27me2/3) with multiple functional domains that is linked with synaptic plasticity and cognition. Whether elevating Kdm6a could benefit the aging male brain and whether this requires its demethylase function remains unknown. We used lentiviral-mediated overexpression of the X factor in the hippocampus of aging male mice and tested their cognition and behavior in the Morris water maze. We found that acutely increasing Kdm6a - in a form without demethylase function - selectively improved learning and memory, without altering total activity or anxiety-like measures, in the aging XY brain. Further understanding the demethylase-independent downstream mechanisms of Kdm6a may lead to novel therapies for treating age-induced cognitive deficits in both sexes.