Androgen Receptors in Epithelial Cells Regulate Thymopoiesis and Recent Thymic Emigrants in Male Mice

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articleResearchpeer-review

  • Wilhelmson, Anna
  • Marta Lantero Rodriguez
  • Inger Johansson
  • Elin Svedlund Eriksson
  • Alexandra Stubelius
  • Susanne Lindgren
  • Johan Bourghardt Fagman
  • Pamela J. Fink
  • Hans Carlsten
  • Olov Ekwall
  • Åsa Tivesten

Androgens have profound effects on T cell homeostasis, including regulation of thymic T lymphopoiesis (thymopoiesis) and production of recent thymic emigrants (RTEs), i. e., immature T cells that derive from the thymus and continue their maturation to mature naïve T cells in secondary lymphoid organs. Here we investigated the androgen target cell for effects on thymopoiesis and RTEs in spleen and lymph nodes. Male mice with a general androgen receptor knockout (G-ARKO), T cell-specific (T-ARKO), or epithelial cell-specific (E-ARKO) knockout were examined. G-ARKO mice showed increased thymus weight and increased numbers of thymic T cell progenitors. These effects were not T cell-intrinsic, since T-ARKO mice displayed unaltered thymus weight and thymopoiesis. In line with a role for thymic epithelial cells (TECs), E-ARKO mice showed increased thymus weight and numbers of thymic T cell progenitors. Further, E-ARKO mice had more CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in spleen and an increased frequency of RTEs among T cells in spleen and lymph nodes. Depletion of the androgen receptor in epithelial cells was also associated with a small shift in the relative number of cortical (reduced) and medullary (increased) TECs and increased CCL25 staining in the thymic medulla, similar to previous observations in castrated mice. In conclusion, we demonstrate that the thymic epithelium is a target compartment for androgen-mediated regulation of thymopoiesis and consequently the generation of RTEs.

Original languageEnglish
Article number1342
JournalFrontiers in Immunology
Volume11
ISSN1664-3224
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2020
Externally publishedYes

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© Copyright © 2020 Wilhelmson, Lantero Rodriguez, Johansson, Svedlund Eriksson, Stubelius, Lindgren, Fagman, Fink, Carlsten, Ekwall and Tivesten.

    Research areas

  • androgens, mice, T cells, thymic epithelial cells, thymus

ID: 269906034