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Sex Steroids Mediate Bidirectional Interactions Between Hosts and Microbes.
Landon G Vom Steeg1, Sabra L Klein1
1W. Harry Feinstone Department of Molecular Microbiology & Immunology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Hormones and Behavior
|November 7, 2016
Summary
Host sex steroid hormones, like testosterone and estradiol, influence infection outcomes. Microbes also exploit these hormones and their signaling pathways for survival and replication.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Endocrinology
- Microbiology
Background:
- Host factors such as age, sex, and reproductive status influence microbial infection outcomes.
- Sex steroid hormones (testosterone, estradiol, progesterone) play a role in modulating immune cell function and host susceptibility to infections.
- Microbial pathogens can also interact with host sex steroid hormones and their signaling pathways.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the multifaceted roles of sex steroid hormones in host-microbe interactions during infections.
- To explore how both hosts and microbes have evolved to utilize sex steroid hormone signaling for survival.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of studies investigating sex steroid hormones and microbial infections.
- Analysis of mechanisms by which sex steroid hormones affect immune responses.
- Examination of microbial strategies for manipulating host sex steroid hormone signaling.
Main Results:
- Sex steroid hormones differentially affect host susceptibility to parasitic, bacterial, and viral infections.
- Microbes utilize sex steroid hormones and their receptors to enhance their survival and replication.
- Both hosts and microbes have co-evolved to leverage sex steroid hormone signaling in the context of infection.
Conclusions:
- Sex steroid hormone signaling is a critical interface in host-microbe dynamics.
- Understanding these interactions is key to developing novel therapeutic strategies against infectious diseases.
- The evolutionary arms race between hosts and microbes involves intricate manipulation of hormonal pathways.
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