MLKL deficiency elevates testosterone production in male mice independently of necroptotic functions.

Mixed lineage kinase domain-like (MLKL) is a pseudokinase, best known for its role as the terminal effector of the necroptotic cell death pathway. MLKL-mediated necroptosis has long been linked to various age-related pathologies including neurodegeneration, atherosclerosis and male reproductive decline, however many of these attributions remain controversial. Here, we investigated the role of MLKL and necroptosis in the adult mouse testis: an organ divided into sperm-producing seminiferous tubules and the surrounding testosterone-producing interstitium.