Sex differences in cancer susceptibility and prognosis are partially driven by sex chromosomes and sex hormones. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the higher incidence and mortality of multiple myeloma (MM) in males remain poorly defined. In this study, we identify the Y-linked gene EIF1AY as a tumor-suppressive regulator in male MM. Clinical analysis reveals that partial deletions of EIF1AY in male MM patients are significantly associated with disease progression, reduced treatment responsiveness, and shorter overall survival. Functionally, loss of EIF1AY promotes M2 macrophage polarization and recruitment, thereby enhancing MM cell proliferation. Mechanistically, EIF1AY forms a protein complex with RPS4Y1 that directly binds to and stabilizes CD134 mRNA, thereby promoting CD134 expression in MM cells. The RPS4Y1-EIF1AY-CD134 axis suppresses IL-4 and IL-13 secretion from MM cells, which in turn downregulates the membrane receptor DDR1 on co-cultured macrophages, thereby inhibiting M2 macrophage polarization and recruitment, and ultimately restraining MM cell proliferation. These findings uncover a feed-forward loop in which the RPS4Y1-EIF1AY-CD134 axis suppresses IL-4/IL-13-DDR1 signaling, thereby suppressing M2 macrophage polarization and recruitment, and sustaining tumor growth through reciprocal crosstalk between tumor cells and macrophages. Collectively, our study elucidates a novel immune regulatory pathway driving sex differences in MM and highlights EIF1AY as a promising target for precision immunotherapy in male patients.
Feng et al. (Sat,) studied this question.