ArticleNature communications2018
Testosterone is an endogenous regulator of BAFF and splenic B cell number.
Article in Nature communications, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 59 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
59 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 98 citations in OpenAlex.
- Sex hormones affect the pathogenesis and clinical characteristics of systemic lupus erythematosus.Frontiers in medicine · 2022Pooled it
- A systematic review exploring the bidirectional relationship between puberty and autoimmune rheumatic diseases.Pediatric rheumatology online journal · 2021Pooled it
- Sex steroids and autoimmune rheumatic diseases: state of the art.Nature reviews. Rheumatology · 2020Pooled it
- Cardiac immunity and heart repair: Mechanism, challenge, and future direction.Chinese medical journal · 2026Review
- Review
- Sex matters: mechanistic insights into sex-driven patterns of autoimmunity and implications for pharmacotherapy.Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's archives of pharmacology · 2026Review
- The Multifaceted Role of Androgen Receptor Signaling in Immunity: Implications for Oncology.Molecular cancer research : MCR · 2026Review
- Pregnancy quenches inflammation through neuroimmune crosstalk.Nature immunology · 2026Article
- Sex Differences in Lung B Cell Responses in a Murine Model of Asthma.International archives of allergy and immunology · 2026Article
- Sex differences in immune cells: mechanistic perspectives and clinical correlates in physiology and disease.Frontiers in immunology · 2026Review
- Sex in Immune Cells and Parasitic Diseases - A Complex Relationship.Immunological reviews · 2026Review
- Sex Differences in Long COVID Prevalence Over One year After the Acute Phase, and Related Risk Factors. The GINA-COVID Cohort Study.International journal of women's health · 2026Article
- Females with Obesity Exhibit Greater Influenza Vaccine-induced Immunity and Protection than Males in a Mouse Model.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2025Article
- Sex hormones regulate the sexual dimorphism of the lung resident immune milieu.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Article
- Sex Differences in Immune Responses to Infectious Diseases: The Role of Genetics, Hormones, and Aging.Diseases (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Testosterone exacerbates neutrophilia and cardiac injury in myocardial infarction via actions in bone marrow.Nature communications · 2025Article
- Females with obesity exhibit greater influenza vaccine-induced immunity and protection than males in a mouse model.Frontiers in immunology · 2025Article
- Plasma testosterone concentration is correlated with circulating immune cell abundance in transgender young people on gender-affirming hormone treatment.Frontiers in immunology · 2025Article
- Changes in the burden and underlying causes of rheumatic heart disease in children and youths, 1990-2021: an analysis of the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021.Frontiers in cardiovascular medicine · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
21 authors at 6 institutions in 6 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Testosterone deficiency in men is associated with increased risk for autoimmunity and increased B cell numbers through unknown mechanisms. Here we show that testosterone regulates the cytokine BAFF, an essential survival factor for B cells. Male mice lacking the androgen receptor have increased splenic B cell numbers, serum BAFF levels and splenic Baff mRNA. Testosterone deficiency by castration causes expansion of BAFF-producing fibroblastic reticular cells (FRCs) in spleen, which may be coupled to lower splenic noradrenaline levels in castrated males, as an α-adrenergic agonist decreases splenic FRC number in vitro. Antibody-mediated blockade of the BAFF receptor or treatment with the neurotoxin 6-hydroxydopamine revert the increased splenic B cell numbers induced by castration. Among healthy men, serum BAFF levels are higher in men with low testosterone. Our study uncovers a previously unrecognized regulation of BAFF by testosterone and raises important questions about BAFF in testosterone-mediated protection against autoimmunity.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.