Skip to main content
Log in

Ovarian dysgenesis in individuals with chromosomal abnormalities

  • Original Investigations
  • Published:
Human Genetics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Summary

To understand better the pathogenesis of ovarian dysgenesis in individuals with abnormalities such as 45,X Turner syndrome, trisomy 13, and trisomy 18, we have examined microscopically the ovaries of 36 infants with a number of chromosomal abnormalities confirmed by karyotype analysis. All infants with trisomy 13, trisomy 18, triploidy, and 45,X were found to have severe ovarian dysgenesis characterized by a virtual absence of primary oocytes. The ovaries of individuals with 21 trisomy and of those with partial deletion or duplication of an autosome demonstrated variable findings, which ranged from complete absence of oocytes to a mild diminution of oocyte numbers. The results of this study suggest that the attrition of germ cells in these infants is a result of faulty meiotic pairing and that ovarian dysgenesis is a more frequent finding in children with karyotypic abnormalities than has been realized previously.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Baker TG (1963) A quantitative and cytological study of germ cells in human ovaries. Proc R Soc Lond [Biol] 158:417–433

    Google Scholar 

  • Beechey CV, Boer P de, Hoeven FA van der (1976) Egg counts in the ovaries of normal and tertiary trisomic (Ts[113]7OH) female mice. Mouse News Lett 54:53

    Google Scholar 

  • Benirschke K, Sullivan MM (1966) Corpora lutea in proven mules. Fertil Steril 17:24–33

    Google Scholar 

  • Burgoyne PS, Baker TG (1984) Meiotic paring and gametogenic failure. In: Evans CW, Dickinson HG (eds) Controlling events in meiosis. Company of Biologists, Cambridge, pp 349–362

    Google Scholar 

  • Burgoyne PS, Mahadevaiah S, Mittwoch U (1985) A reciprocal autosomal translocation which causes male sterility in the mouse also impairs oogenesis. J Reprod Fertil 75:647–652

    Google Scholar 

  • Chandley AC, Jones RC, Dott HM, Allen WR, Short RV (1974) Meiosis in interspecific equine hybrids. I. The male mule (Equus asinus × E. caballus) and hinny (E. cabullus × E. asinus). Cytogenet Cell Genet 13:330–341

    Google Scholar 

  • Gillies CB (1981) Electron microscopy of spread maize pachytene synaptonemal complexes. Chromosoma 83:575–591

    Google Scholar 

  • Hojager B, Peters H, Byskov G, Faber M (1978) Follicular development in ovaries of children with Down's syndrome. Acta Paediatr Scand 67:637–643

    Google Scholar 

  • Juberg RC, Hayes ML (1987) Critical region hypothesis: primary amenorrhea in an 18-year-old woman with a complex translocation (X;2;8). Am J Med Genet [Suppl] 3:145–150

    Google Scholar 

  • Kennedy JF, Freeman MG, Benirschke K (1977) Ovarian dysgenesis and chromosome abnormalities. Obstet Gynecol 50: 13–20

    Google Scholar 

  • Krauss CM, Turksoy RN, Atkins L, McLaughlin C, Brown LG, Page DC (1987) Familial premature ovarian failure due to an interstitial deletion of the long arm of the X chromosome. N Engl J Med 317:125–131

    Google Scholar 

  • Luciani JM, Devictor M, Boué J, Morazzani M-R, Boué A, Stahl A (1978) Étude de la méiose ovocytaire chez un foetus trisomique 18. Comportement du chromosome surnuméraire et identification du bivalent 18. Ann Génét (Paris) 21:215–218

    Google Scholar 

  • Mittwoch U, Mahadevaiah S, Olive MB (1981) Retardation of ovarian growth in male-sterile mice carrying an autosomal translocation. J Med Genet 18:414–417

    Google Scholar 

  • Mittwoch U, Mahadevaiah S, Setterfield LA (1984) Chromosomal anomalies that cause male sterility in the mouse also reduce ovary size. Genet Res 44:219–224

    Google Scholar 

  • Rong R, Yang X, Cai H, Wei J (1985) Fertile mule in China and her unusual foal. J R Soc Med 78:821–825

    Google Scholar 

  • Russell P, Altshuler G (1975) The ovarian dysgenesis of trisomy 18. Pathology 7:149–155

    Google Scholar 

  • Ryder OA, Chemnick LG, Bowling AT, Benirschke K (1985) Male mule foal qualifies as the offspring of a female mule and jack donkey. J Hered 76:379–381

    Google Scholar 

  • Setterfield LA, Mittwoch U (1986) Reduced oocyte numbers in tertiary trisomic mice with male sterility. Cytogenet Cell Genet 41:177–180

    Google Scholar 

  • Singh RP, Carr DH (1966) The anatomy and histology of XO human embryos and fetuses. Anat Rec 155:369–384

    Google Scholar 

  • Speed RM (1984) Meiotic configurations in female trisomy 21 fetuses. Hum Genet 66:176–180

    Google Scholar 

  • Speed RM (1986a) Prophase pairing in a mosaic 18p-;iso18q human female fetus studied by surface spreading. Hum Genet 72: 256–259

    Google Scholar 

  • Speed RM (1986b) Oocyte development in XO fetuses of man and mouse: the possible role of heterologous X-chromosome pairing in germ cell survival. Chromosoma 94:115–124

    Google Scholar 

  • Speed RM (1988) The possible role of meiotic pairing anomalies in the atresia of human fetal oocytes. Hum Genet 78:260–266

    Google Scholar 

  • Taylor MJ, Short RV (1973) Development of the germ cells in the ovary of the mule and hinny. J Reprod Fertil 32:441–445

    Google Scholar 

  • Witschi E (1948) Migration of the germ cells of human embryos from the yolk sac to the primitive gonadal folds. Contrib Embryol Carnegie Inst 32:67–80

    Google Scholar 

  • Wallace BMN, Hultén MA (1983) Triple chromosome synapsis in oocytes from a human fetus with trisomy 21. Ann Hum Genet 47:271–276

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Cunniff, C., Jones, K.L. & Benirschke, K. Ovarian dysgenesis in individuals with chromosomal abnormalities. Hum Genet 86, 552–556 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00201540

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00201540

Keywords

Navigation