The immunomodulatory role of the hypothalamus-pituitary-gonad axis: Proximate mechanism for reproduction-immune trade offs?
Open accessAbstract
The present review discusses the communication between the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonad (HPG) axis and the immune system of vertebrates, attempting to situate the HPG-immune interaction into the context of life history trade-offs between reproductive and immune functions. More specifically, (i) we review molecular and cellular interactions between hormones of the HPG axis, and, as far as known, the involved mechanisms on immune functions, (ii) we evaluate whether the HPG-immune crosstalk serves as proximate mechanism mediating reproductive-immune trade-offs, and (iii) we ask whether the nature of the HPG-immune interaction is conserved throughout vertebrate evolution, despite the changes in immune functions, reproductive modes, and life histories. In all vertebrate classes studied so far, HPG hormones have immunomodulatory functions, and indications exist that they contribute to reproduction-immunity resource trade-offs, although the very limited information available for most non-mammalian vertebrates makes it difficult to judge how comparable or different the interactions are. There is good evidence that the HPG-immune crosstalk is part of the proximate mechanisms underlying the reproductive-immune trade-offs of vertebrates, but it is only one factor in a complex network of factors and processes. The fact that the HPG-immune interaction is flexible and can adapt to the functional and physiological requirements of specific life histories. Moreover, the assumption of a relatively fixed pattern of HPG influence on immune functions, with, for example, androgens always leading to immunosuppression and estrogens always being immunoprotective, is probably oversimplified, but the HPG-immune interaction can vary depending on the physiological and envoironmental context. Finally, the HPG-immune interaction is not only driven by resource trade-offs, but additional factors such as, for instance, the evolution of viviparity shape this neuroendocrine-immune relationship.
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The HPG axis proximately instantiates life-history decision-making, integrating bodily information with environmental cues to coordinate the development and expression of key life-history events such as onset of puberty and reproductive senescence.
“The HPG axis proximately instantiates life‐history decision‐making, integrating bodily information with environmental cues to coordinate the development and expression of key life‐history events such as onset of puberty and reproductive senescence (Segner et al., 2017).”
From Endometriosis and polycystic ovary syndrome are diametric disorders (2021) · cites this paper as Segner et al., 2017
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Immune-neuroendocrine phenotypic expression changes through life in Coturnix japonica quails
Marozzi, A., Correa, S. G., Palme, R., Cantarelli, V., Ponzio, M., Marin, R. H., & Nazar, F. N. (2025) · bioRxiv · doi:10.1101/2024.01.24.577005
Expression of microRNAs in the hypothalamus of pregnant and non-pregnant goats
Zhu, L., Huang, J., Jing, J., Zheng, Q., Ji, Q., Liu, Y., Ding, J., Fang, F., Li, Y., Zhang, Y., et al. (2021) · Czech Journal of Animal Science · doi:10.17221/113/2020-cjas
“In addition, the immune-related function was enriched in the hypothalamus during pregnancy, and immune stress regulates reproduction (Segner et al. 2017).”
BackgroundNewhouse, D. J., & Vernasco, B. (2019) · bioRxiv · doi:10.1101/814178
- Authors
- Segner, H., Verburg-van Kemenade, B. M. L., & Chadzinska, M.
- Affiliations
- University of Bern (CH)
- Corresponding author
- Segner, Helmut
- ORCID
- Segner, Helmut
- Venue
- Developmental & Comparative Immunology
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2017-01
- Volume
- 66
- Pages
- 43-60
- ISSN
- 0145-305X (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2473589924
- Cited by
- 86
- References
- 269
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 8 · 2024: 12 · 2023: 10 · 2022: 8 · 2021: 11 · 2020: 9 · 2019: 11 · 2018: 9 · 2017: 4 · 2016: 1
- FWCI
- 0.84
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- research.wur.nl
- Locations
- Developmental & Comparative Immunology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Socio-Environmental Systems Modeling (acceptedVersion)
- Jagiellonian University Repository (Jagiellonian University) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- BORIS (University Library Bern) (submittedVersion)
- Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Behavioral Neuroscience › Stress Responses and Cortisol
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics › Animal Behavior and Reproduction
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Reproductive Medicine › Hypothalamic control of reproductive hormones
- Keywords
- hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis, immunomodulation, androgens, estrogen, life-history trade-offs, vertebrate evolution, viviparity, neuroendocrine-immune interaction
- MeSH terms
- Adrenal Glands, Animals, Biological Evolution, Gonads, Humans, Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System, Immune System, Immunity, Pituitary-Adrenal System, Reproduction, Neuroimmunomodulation, Immunomodulation
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