Fig. 1: Hsd3b6∆skin mice with reduced androgen production in skin are resistant to S. aureus skin infection.
From: Skin androgens regulate Staphylococcus aureus pathogenicity via quorum sensing
a, Testosterone from site-matched skin secretions was quantified by LC–MS/MS in a man (n = 1) and woman (n = 1) without skin disease over 6 days. Data are presented as mean ± s.e.m. (error bars), with shaded areas representing the 95% confidence interval. *P < 0.05 by two-way ANOVA. b, Schematic showing sexual dimorphism of testosterone secretion in male and female back skin5. c, Bioluminescent MRSA SAP430 (MRSA::lux) epicutaneous skin infection in male and female (n = 5) C57BL/6 wild-type mice (1 × 106 CFU, 4 days). Bioluminescence quantified over time. Means ± s.e.m. (error bars) are plotted. *P < 0.05 by two-way ANOVA. d, Schematic of HSD3B6/1 enzyme-mediated conversion of pregnenolone to testosterone and DHT. Hsd3b6∆skin mice lack HSD3B6 enzyme function in the skin. e,f, Testosterone (e) and DHT (f) quantified from the skin secretions of male and female Hsd3b6fl/fl (n = 11) and Hsd3b6∆skin (n = 8) mice (7 weeks) by hormone immunoassay. Means ± s.e.m. (error bars) are plotted. **P < 0.01, ****P < 0.0001 by 2-way ANOVA (2-sided). g–i, Male Hsd3b6fl/fl (n = 10) and Hsd3b6Δskin (n = 5) mice epicutaneously infected with bioluminescent MRSA SAP430 (MRSA::lux, 1 × 106 CFU, 4 days). g, Left, bioluminescence quantified over time. Right, representative image of bioluminescence on day 1. Means ± s.e.m. (error bars) are plotted. *P < 0.05 by 2-way ANOVA. h, Left, disease score quantified on day 4. Right, representative image of skin inflammation on day 4. Means ± s.e.m. (error bars) are plotted. *P < 0.05, by 2-sided Mann–Whitney U-test. i, Transepidermal water loss (TEWL) quantified by Vapometer on day 0 and day 4. Means ± s.e.m. (error bars) are plotted. ****P < 0.0001 by 2-way ANOVA (two-sided). j–l, Female Hsd3b6Δskin mice were epicutaneously infected with bioluminescent MRSA SAP430 (MRSA::lux, 1 × 106 CFU, 4 days) with or without testosterone (vehicle n = 3; testosterone n = 4). j, Left, bioluminescence quantified over time. Right, representative images of bioluminescence on day 1. Means ± s.e.m. (error bars) are plotted. P = 0.052 by 2-way ANOVA. k, Left, disease score was quantified on day 4. Right, representative image of skin inflammation on day 4. P = 0.057 by 2-sided Mann–Whitney U-test. l, Transepidermal water loss was quantified by Vapometer on day 0 and day 4. Means ± s.e.m. (error bars) are plotted. ****P < 0.0001 by 2-way ANOVA (2-sided). See Extended Data Figs. 1–3. Illustrations created in BioRender: b, Harris, T. https://biorender.com/rpfp2in (2025); d, Harris, T. https://biorender.com/5iw1tsh (2025).
