Sex steroids and the immune system.
Autoimmune diseases afflict women at a much higher rate than they do men. Although the differences in sex steroids probably play a role in this sexual dimorphism, the effects of sex steroids on the immune system and the mechanisms by which those effects occur are uncertain. We have begun studies to examine systematically these processes by examining the cells responsive to sex steroids, the genes regulated by these hormones, and the effect on the immune system and autoimmunity.
Fox
H S
HS
Department of Neuropharmacology, Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA.
D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000503:physiopathology*; D015551:Autoimmunity / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000502:physiology; D012739:Gonadal Steroid Hormones / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007107:Immune System / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D013256:Steroids / Q000502:physiology*
D012739:Gonadal Steroid Hormones; D013256:Steroids