title: How do you get six meters of epididymis inside a human scrotum?
abstract: It is very clear that the epididymis plays a crucial role in the maturation  of spermatozoa, and without a fully developed and functional epididymis, male  infertility will result. We are especially interested in understanding the  mechanisms that regulate the development of this important organ because  disruptions to epididymal function will also arise as a consequence of  abnormal development. Very little is known either of the process of epididymal  development or the nature and causes of congenital defects that lead to male  infertility. A major event during Wolffian/epididymal duct embryonic  development is elongation and coiling and this short review outlines potential  mechanisms by which these events occur. It is hypothesized that elongation is  the result of cell proliferation coupled with directed cell rearrangements,  the later regulated by the planar cell polarity signaling pathway. Coiling  proceeds in a proximal to distal manner, with three-dimensional coiling  beginning approximately embryonic day 16.5 to 18.5 in the mouse. The exact  mechanisms of coiling are not known but we hypothesize that it involves an  interaction between the Wolffian duct epithelium and the surrounding  mesenchyme cells, such that the extracellular matrix is remodeled to allow  coiling and growth of the duct. Cell proliferation in the Wolffian duct  appears to be dependent on the presence of androgens and mesenchymal factors  during embryonic development, but lumicrine factors play an additional role  during postnatal development.
authors: Department of Cell Biology, University of Virginia Health System, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA. bth7c@virginia.edu
authors: Barry T
authors: BT
authors: Hinton
authors: Maureen M
authors: MM
authors: Galdamez
authors: Ann
authors: A
authors: Sutherland
authors: Daniela
authors: D
authors: Bomgardner
authors: Bingfang
authors: B
authors: Xu
authors: Rana
authors: R
authors: Abdel-Fattah
authors: Ling
authors: L
authors: Yang
mesh_terms: D000728:Androgens / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D004822:Epididymis / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000196:embryology / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D005109:Extracellular Matrix / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008648:Mesoderm / Q000196:embryology / Q000254:growth & development; D051379:Mice; D012611:Scrotum / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000196:embryology / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D014928:Wolffian Ducts / Q000196:embryology / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000728:Androgens