Seminal fluid interferon-gamma: a potential inhibitor of reproductive success

该项目旨在通过在精液中诱导一种信号因子，抑制女性对怀孕的免疫适应，来研究感染、热应激和心理社会压力干扰生育的机制。除了精子参数之外，精液中的因素也是已知的影响男性生殖成功的因素，但这些因素还没有得到很好的定义。细胞因子干扰素-γ(IFNG)广泛存在于多种哺乳动物的精浆中。最近发现，IFNG干扰了生殖成功所需的女性免疫反应。这个项目将研究精液IFNG如何改变女性对怀孕的免疫适应。这将定义环境因素如何诱导精液IFNG，并确定是否可以用药物抑制剂克服IFNG的抑制作用，以促进生殖成功。

This project aims to investigate mechanisms by which infection, heat stress and psycho-social stress interfere with fertility by inducing a signalling factor in seminal fluid that suppresses female immune adaptation for pregnancy. Factors in seminal fluid in addition to sperm parameters are known to affect male reproductive success, but these are not well defined. The cytokine interferon-gamma (IFNG) is variably present in seminal plasma of several mammalian species. It was recently discovered that IFNG interferes with the female immune response required for reproductive success. This project will investigate how seminal fluid IFNG alters female immune adaptation for pregnancy. This will define how environmental factors induce seminal fluid IFNG and determine whether inhibitory effects of IFNG can be overcome with pharmacological inhibitors to boost reproductive success.