Puberty in the Male Chimpanzee: Progressive Maturation of Semen Characteristics1

Marson, Jocelyne; Meuris, Sylvain; Cooper, Robert L.; Jouannet, Pierre

doi:10.1095/biolreprod44.3.448

Cited by 46 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 21 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…In the chimpanzee, several studies found significant increases in DHEA or DHEAS in prepubertal/pubertal groups (Cutler et al 1978, Smail et al 1982 or prepubertal chimpanzees alone (Copeland et al 1985), when compared with younger age groups. These much cited results suggest that a rise in adrenal androgen levels may occur as early as 3-4 years, several years before the onset of puberty (Copeland et al 1985, Marson et al 1991. However, studies reporting individual hormone levels (rather than age-specific groups) found no discernible increase in DHEA or DHEAS during the peripubertal period (Nadler et al 1987, Bernstein et al 2012.…”

Section: Endocrinological Adrenarchementioning

confidence: 98%

Adrenarche in nonhuman primates: the evidence for it and the need to redefine it

Conley¹,

Bernstein²,

Nguyen³

2012

Journal of Endocrinology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Adrenarche is most commonly defined as a prepubertal increase in circulating adrenal androgens, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and its sulfo-conjugate (DHEAS). This event is thought to have evolved in humans and some great apes but not in Old World monkeys, perhaps to promote brain development. Whether adrenarche represents a shared, derived developmental event in humans and our closest relatives, adrenal androgen secretion (and its regulation) is of considerable clinical interest. Specifically, adrenal androgens play a significant role in the pathophysiology of polycystic ovarian disease and breast and prostate cancers. Understanding the development of androgen secretion by the human adrenal cortex and identifying a suitable model for its study are therefore of central importance for clinical and evolutionary concerns. This review will examine the evidence for adrenarche in nonhuman primates (NHP) and suggest that a broader definition of this developmental event is needed, including morphological, biochemical, and endocrine criteria. Using such a definition, evidence from recent studies suggests that adrenarche evolved in Old World primates but spans a relatively brief period early in development compared with humans and some great apes. This emphasizes the need for frequent longitudinal sampling in evaluating developmental changes in adrenal androgen secretion as well as the tenuous nature of existing evidence of adrenarche in some species among the great apes. Central to an understanding of the regulation of adrenal androgen production in humans is the recognition of the complex nature of adrenarche and the need for more carefully conducted comparative studies and a broader definition in order to promote investigation among NHP in particular.

show abstract

Section: Endocrinological Adrenarchementioning

confidence: 98%

Adrenarche in nonhuman primates: the evidence for it and the need to redefine it

Conley¹,

Bernstein²,

Nguyen³

2012

Journal of Endocrinology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Testicular volume (TV) was calculated using the formula (MARSON et al, 1991a), TV=pIAVEL/6, in which pi is the circular constant. As a rule, the right testis was measured, but for some chimpanzees with asymmetrical testes, both testes were measured and the mean TV was used for the analysis.…”

Section: Testicular Sizementioning

confidence: 99%

“…As for the chimpanzees reared at the Centre International de Recherches M6dicales de Franceville (CIRMF) in Gabon, MARSON et al (1991a) found adolescent growth spurt of body weight in males. They rearranged individual growth curves at the age when the testis started rapid growth, and the weight-gain increased clearly in males.…”

Section: Adolescent Phasementioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

The growth pattern of chimpanzees: Somatic growth and reproductive maturation inPan troglodytes

Hamada

Udono²,

Teramoto³

et al. 1996

Primates

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

ABSTRACT. Growth of chimpanzees reared at the Kumamoto Primates Park of Sanwa Kagaku Kenkyusho Co. Ltd. was studied cross-sectionally from the viewpoints of somatic growth and reproductive maturation. Distance and velocity curves were expressed using spline function method. Males showed adolescent growth acceleration in body weight, with a peak at 7.86 yrs of age, but not in trunk length. Females showed continuous rapid growth from mid-juvenile to adolescent phase in both body weight and trunk length, but no isolated adolescent spurt. The Sanwa chimpanzees matured at about 12.5 yrs of age for females and 15.0 yrs for males. The mean adult weights and trunk lengths were 53.2 kg and 507.8 mm for males and 42.7 kg and 481.6 mm for females. The Sanwa chimpanzees had similar growth patterns to those of the Yerkes chimpanzees, although they showed a slight delay in infancy, and a higher growth rate from the early juvenile phase onwards. Growth patterns in these two laboratories may be regarded as "normative" for laboratory-reared chimpanzees. They matured earlier than wild chimpanzees by more than two years. The major reason for the retarded maturation in wild chimpanzees is the delay of growth from infant to the early juvenile phases (0-4 yrs of age), probably owing to a limited nutritional supply from the mother. Development of the testes comprised three phases: slow growth from infant to juvenile (until 6.4 yrs); rapid growth around adolescence (until 9.2 yrs); and adult (mean testicular volume, 187 cm3). Setting the nutritional standard at 2,000-2,600 Cal/day (= Kcal/day) per adult, calories were considered for captive chimpanzees in each age class.

show abstract

“…Attempts to define puberty led to the notion that this developmental process does not readily lend itself to definition (Ojeda et al 1980). For example, Bronson and Rissman (1986) defined puberty as the onset of fertility and the period of rapid development that precedes it; for Marson et al (1991) puberty in human beings is a period of transition between the infantile stage and adulthood; Le Bail (1986) defined the start of puberty in salmonid fishes as the appearance of the first spermatocytes; several other definitions can be found in literature (Crim and Evans 1983;Schreibman et al 1986;Williamson et al 1990;Renaville et al 1993;Schulz et al 1994a). In the present study, we will consider pubertal development in male African catfish, Clarias gariepinus, as the period that starts with appearance of spermatocytes and ends with the appearance of the first spermatozoa in adolescent males.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pubertal development of male African catfish,Clarias gariepinus. In vitro steroidogenesis by testis and interrenal tissue and plasma levels of sexual steroids

Cavaco

Lambert

Schulz

et al. 1997

Fish Physiol Biochem

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In fish, sex steroids initiate and/or accelerate the maturation of the brain-pituitary-gonad axis. In order to obtain information on the steroid milieu during the pubertal development of male African catfish, we have monitored the conversion of [ 3 H]-pregnenolone and [ 3 H]-androstenedione by testis and [ 3 H]-pregnenolone by interrenal tissue fragments in vitro. Pubertal development occurs between two and six months of age. Testicular development proceeds through four main stages that are characterised histologically by the presence of spermatogonia (stage I), spermatogonia and spermatocytes (stage II), spermatogonia, spermatocytes and spermatids (stage III), and all germ cells including spermatozoa (stage IV). 11 -Hydroxyandrostenedione and cortisol were the main products of testes and interrenal tissue, respectively, in all stages of the pubertal development; a change in the steroidogenic pattern was not observed during this period. The interrenal tissue displayed no significant conversion of [ 3 H]-pregnenolone to 11-oxygenated androgens.Blood plasma was analyzed for the presence of five androgens; testosterone, 11 ,-hydroxytestosterone, 11 Jhydroxyandrostenedione, androstenetrione, and 11 -ketotestosterone. 11-Ketotestosterone was the quantitatively dominating androgen in the circulation at all stages of development, which was more pronounced in stages III and IV. The obvious differences between the in vitro and in vivo results, namely 1 3-hydroxyandrostenedione being the main testicular product vs. 11 -ketotestosterone dominating in the blood, may indicate that 11 3-hydroxyandrostenedione is converted to 11 -ketotestosterone at extratesticular sites.

show abstract

Puberty in the Male Chimpanzee: Progressive Maturation of Semen Characteristics1

Cited by 46 publications

References 21 publications

Adrenarche in nonhuman primates: the evidence for it and the need to redefine it

Adrenarche in nonhuman primates: the evidence for it and the need to redefine it

The growth pattern of chimpanzees: Somatic growth and reproductive maturation inPan troglodytes

Pubertal development of male African catfish,Clarias gariepinus. In vitro steroidogenesis by testis and interrenal tissue and plasma levels of sexual steroids

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About