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Development of the Testis

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The Neuroendocrine Leydig Cells and their Stem Cell Progenitors, the Pericytes

Part of the book series: Advances in Anatomy, Embryology and Cell Biology ((ADVSANAT,volume 205))

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Abstract

The mammalian gonad develops within the urogenital ridge as a thickening along the ventromedial cranial area of the mesonephros. In mice, this occurs at day 10.0–10.5 post coitus (dpc) (Byskov 1986; Brennan and Capel 2004; Kim and Capel 2006; Wilhelm et al. 2007; Tang et al. 2008). This thickening results from both the proliferation of the coelomic epithelium and the allocation of cells from the mesonephros (Yao and Capel 2002; Ross and Capel 2005; Cool et al. 2008). At the beginning, the structure of this gonad anlage is identical in XX and XY mice embryos, and either ovary or testis can develop from this bipotential primordium. For testis development, a member of the Sox (Sry-related high-mobility group box) family of transcription factors, SRY (sex-determining region of the Y chromosome; Sry in mice) is expressed as a primary trigger by the supporting cell lineage, the precursor cells to the Sertoli cell lineage (DiNapoli and Capel 2008). Between 11.5 and 12.5 dpc in mice, the following events were established in the XY gonad: increased proliferation of coelomic epithelial cells, migration of cells from the mesonephros, structural organization of the testis cords, appearance of a male-specific coelomic vessel and differentiation of the steroidogenic Leydig cells (Brennan and Capel 2004).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Institute of Anatomy Erika Haus, W29 Martinistr.52, D-20246, Hamburg, Germany

    Michail S. Davidoff & Adolf F. Holstein

  2. Justus-Liebig-University, Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Aulweg 123, D-35385, Giessen, Germany

    Ralf Middendorff & Dieter Müller

Authors
  1. Michail S. Davidoff
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  2. Ralf Middendorff
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  3. Dieter Müller
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  4. Adolf F. Holstein
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Correspondence to Michail S. Davidoff .

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© 2009 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Davidoff, M.S., Middendorff, R., Müller, D., Holstein, A.F. (2009). Development of the Testis. In: The Neuroendocrine Leydig Cells and their Stem Cell Progenitors, the Pericytes. Advances in Anatomy, Embryology and Cell Biology, vol 205. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-00513-8_6

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