Synopsis
Histochemical studies on the activity of 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3β-HSD) in the testes of adult chicken-pheasant hybrids and domestic fowl of similar age were carried out using dehydroepiandrosterone as the substrate. The reaction for 3β-HSD was positive in the interstitial tissue and negative within seminiferous tubules of domestic fowl. In chicken-pheasant hybrids, a strong positive reaction for 3β-HSD was observed in the interstitial tissue and within the seminiferous tubules suggesting that, in hybrid testes, both Leydig cells and cells of seminiferous tubules may be capable of steroid biosynthesis. Since the plasma testosterone levels in these birds were found to be extremely low, it is hypothesized that either the chicken-pheasant hybrids do not release testosterone in sufficient amounts in the circulation or the type of steroid produced by the 3βHSD-positive cells may be different from testosterone that is required for the maintenance of normal fertility and the development of secondary sexual characteristics.
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Purohit, V.D., Basrur, P.K. & Bhatnagar, M.K. Histochemical localization of 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase in the testes of chicken-pheasant hybrids. Histochem J 9, 293–299 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01004765
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01004765