The Impact of Sex on Alloimmunity

Publication date: Available online 22 March 2018
Source:Trends in Immunology
Author(s): Ashley Lau, Lori West, Stefan G. Tullius
Transplantation outcomes are known to be affected by multiple factors, including donor and recipient sex. Aside from the physiological characteristics of male and female donor allografts, accumulating evidence suggests that additional features underlie sex-specific immune responses that affect graft survival. We discuss here aspects of innate and adaptive alloimmunity that are specific to males and females in the context of underlying genetic and hormonal factors. These differences likely contribute to the observed disparities in graft survival. Understanding these features in more detail may lead to improved strategies for optimizing the results of organ transplantation.



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