Sex-Specific Expression of Gastrin-Releasing Peptide Receptor: Relationship to Smoking History and Risk of Lung Cancer

Abstract

Our results suggest that the GRPR gene is expressed more frequently in women than in men in the absence of smoking and that expression of this gene is activated earlier in women in response to tobacco exposure. The presence of two expressed copies of the GRPR gene in females may be a factor in the increased susceptibility of women to tobacco-induced lung cancer.