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Distinct hormonal regulation of two types of sexual dimorphism in submandibular gland of mice

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Abstract

The submandibular gland (SMG) of mice exhibits prominent sexual dimorphism in two aspects: the preferential development of granular convoluted tubule (GCT) cells and the earlier disappearance of granular intercalated duct (GID) cells in males after puberty. The former is dependent on androgens and thyroid hormones, whereas the hormonal dependence of the latter remains obscure. In the present study, we examined the effects of the postnatal administration of androgens and thyroid hormones to wild-type (WT) and androgen-receptor-knockout (ARKO) mice on these two types of sexual dimorphism by counting the numbers of GCT and GID cells labeled with nerve growth factor and submandibular gland protein C, respectively, as immunohistochemical markers. WT females and ARKO males and females exhibited a lower number of GCT cells and higher number of GID cells at 5 and 11 weeks postpartum than WT males. The administration of dihydrotestosterone for 1–2 weeks prior to these ages caused an increase in GCT cells and decrease in GID cells in WT females to similar levels as those in WT males, whereas it had no effects in ARKO, indicating that both types of sexual dimorphism are androgen-dependent. In contrast, the administration of thyroxine caused an increase in GCT cells but did not cause a decrease in GID cells in WT females or ARKO, indicating that the former is dependent on thyroid hormones, whereas the latter is not. The present results suggest that the two types of sexual dimorphism in the mouse SMG undergo distinct forms of hormonal regulation and, therefore, have different mechanisms.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Mr. Shuichi Yamazaki for his technical work in preparing paraffin sections. This study was supported by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research no. 26460270 from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan to S.I.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Histology and Cell Biology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, 920-8640, Japan

    Miyuki Yamamoto, Hiroki Nakata, Tewarat Kumchantuek, Kannika Adhapanyawanich & Shoichi Iseki

  2. Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medical Science, Naresuan University, Phitsanulok, 65000, Thailand

    Tewarat Kumchantuek & Kannika Adhapanyawanich

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  1. Miyuki Yamamoto
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  2. Hiroki Nakata
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  3. Tewarat Kumchantuek
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  4. Kannika Adhapanyawanich
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  5. Shoichi Iseki
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Correspondence to Shoichi Iseki.

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Yamamoto, M., Nakata, H., Kumchantuek, T. et al. Distinct hormonal regulation of two types of sexual dimorphism in submandibular gland of mice. Cell Tissue Res 371, 261–272 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00441-017-2719-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00441-017-2719-4

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