ABSTRACT
Induction and patterning of the testis occurs over a brief window of time. Before
male-specific morphogenesis, the gonad primordium is bipotential and capable of developing
into either an ovary or testis. However, expression of the transcription factor Sry initiates male development and induces patterning, proliferation, and epithelialization
specific to the testis. Male sex determination begins with commitment of Sertoli cells
via autonomous and nonautonomous mechanisms. These mechanisms have recently been shown
to both promote the male fate and simultaneously repress ovarian development. A second
critical event in the development of the testis is the epithelialization of testis
cords. After their specification, Sertoli cells epithelialize and surround the male
germ line to form large looping structures bound by extracellular matrix. Cells excluded
from cord structures are called interstitial cells and comprise several different
cell types, including steroidogenic cells, endothelial cells, and a smooth muscle
cell that directly surround the cords. Numerous male-specific signaling pathways influence
testis cord morphogenesis and specification of distinct cell types, although a coherent
progression of events is unclear. In this article we focus on signals in the male
gonad that first are responsible for the specification of Sertoli cells, and second
for the specification and patterning of interstitial cells.
KEYWORDS
Sex determination - testis - organogenesis - growth factor signaling
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Dr. Blanche Capel
The Department of Cell Biology, Duke University Medical Center, Box 3471
Genome Science Research Building II, Room 4026, Research Drive, Duke University, Durham,
NC 27710
Email: b.capel@cellbio.duke.edu
