Suppressive effect of fetal testes on development of fetal ovaries transplanted into adult males in the rat.
The age-related testicular effect on the ovarian primordia was studied by combined transplantation of fetal testes and ovaries in adult male hosts. First, ovarian primordia of 14-day fetal rats were transplanted into a renal subcapsular position of castrated or intact adult male rats. In both the castrated and the intact hosts, most of the ovarian transplants developed normally with only 3 of them having in part seminiferous tubule-like structures in addition to normal ovarian structure. Second, a 14-day ovary was combined with a fetal testis the age of which varied from 13- to 18-day, and the combination was transplanted. In the combination of a 14-day ovary and a 13-day testis, the results varied in such a way that the ovary or the testis alone developed or otherwise, both gonads developed well. In union with 15- to 18-day testes, the ovaries did not develop, although the testes developed well. These results suggest that the 14-day ovarian primordia have a slight reactiveness to androgens of host rats and that the 13-day fetal testes begin to inhibit the development of the 14-day ovaries co-transplanted with them.
Namba
Y
Y
Department of Anatomy II, Azabu University, School of Veterinary Medicine, Kanagawa, Japan.
Yamamoto
M
M
Arishima
K
K
Kusanagi
M
M
Eguchi
Y
Y
D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D016332:Fetal Tissue Transplantation / Q000502:physiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D005865:Gestational Age; D008297:Male; D009919:Orchiectomy; D010053:Ovary / Q000196:embryology* / Q000637:transplantation; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013737:Testis / Q000196:embryology* / Q000502:physiology / Q000637:transplantation