Testicular Development

A novelSry-downstream cellular event which preserves the readily available energy source of glycogen in mouse sex differentiation

“…The present findings also illustrate that, immediately after the onset of Sry expression, extracellular signaling factors may promote glycogen accumulation in pre-Sertoli cells via the PI3K-AKT pathway. Previous ultrastructural studies of differentiating fetal Sertoli cells in various mammalian species generally exhibited an abundance of not only glycogen but also lipid droplets (another important energy source) and elongated, plemorphic mitochondria (energy-producing organelle) in their cytoplasm (reviewed by Gondos, 1977). Therefore, these data clearly raise an interesting hypothesis of a potential link between Sry action and sex-dimorphic energy metabolism in mammalian gonadal sex determination.…”

The functional maturation of the Sertoli cell and Leydig cell in the mammalian testis

“…The precursor cell types of the Sertoli and Leydig cells appear early in fetal life (see Gondos, 1977). The former are believed to arise from the gonadal blastema and the latter from undifferentiated mesenchymal cells in the interstitium (see Pelliniemi & Dym, 1980).…”

Embryonic development of the degu, Octodon degus

“…However, the evolution of the germinal line in the male reaches the spermatogonium stage in the fetal period (Morales & Leyton, 1977). This event has only been observed in the ram (Gondos, 1977) and men (Gondos & Hobel, 1971) because in numerous animals the differentiation of the germinal line is stopped at the gonocyte stage and complete maturation takes place in the post-natal life (Gondos, 1977).…”