biostudies-literatureChan HNIDDK NIH HHSNIAID NIH HHSNIAMS NIH HHSeads0519https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC12183641biostudies-literatureUnknown10(106)Infections after psychological stress are a major health care problem. Single-cell transcriptomics and lipidomic profiling in a mouse model of stress show that dermal fibroblasts undergoing adipogenesis have defective responses to <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> skin infection. Adrenalectomy or adrenergic inhibition restores the fibroblast adipogenic response to <i>S. aureus</i> and enables mice to effectively resist infection during stress. Increased susceptibility to <i>S. aureus</i> from stress is attributed to suppression of the antimicrobial peptide cathelicidin (<i>Camp</i>) because adrenaline directly inhibits <i>Camp</i> production by fibroblasts, and mice lacking <i>Camp</i> in fibroblasts do not increase infection after stress. Transforming growth factor β (TGFβ) is induced by stresScience immunologyPsychological stress increases skin infection through the action of TGFβ to suppress immune-acting fibroblasts.PMC12183641P50 AR080594R01 DK128787U01 AI152038R37 AI052453R01 AI168005Chan HNakatsuji TLi HDokoshi TCrown BChiu IMGallo RLLi FCavagnero KJLi QYang DWilliams KJAguilera CBensinger SJChen WValentina OChen YLiu EIndra ANumata TfalsePsychological stress increases skin infection through the action of TGFβ to suppress immune-acting fibroblasts.Infections after psychological stress are a major health care problem. Single-cell transcriptomics and lipidomic profiling in a mouse model of stress show that dermal fibroblasts undergoing adipogenesis have defective responses to <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> skin infection. Adrenalectomy or adrenergic inhibition restores the fibroblast adipogenic response to <i>S. aureus</i> and enables mice to effectively resist infection during stress. Increased susceptibility to <i>S. aureus</i> from stress is attributed to suppression of the antimicrobial peptide cathelicidin (<i>Camp</i>) because adrenaline directly inhibits <i>Camp</i> production by fibroblasts, and mice lacking <i>Camp</i> in fibroblasts do not increase infection after stress. Transforming growth factor β (TGFβ) is induced by stres2025-01-01T00:00:00Z2025 Apr2026-06-03T07:10:44.236Z2026-04-25T03:22:41.312ZS-EPMC121836414021532310.1126/sciimmunol.ads0519