Masculinization of external genitalia is an essential process in the formation of the male reproductive system. Prominent characteristics of this masculinization are the organ size and the sexual differentiation of the urethra. Although androgen is a pivotal inducer of the masculinization, the regulatory mechanism under the control of androgen is still unknown. Here, we address this longstandin...

Salmonids are generally considered to have a robust genetic sex determination system with a simple male heterogamety (XX/XY). However, spontaneous masculinization of XX females has been found in a rainbow trout population of gynogenetic doubled haploid individuals. The analysis of this masculinization phenotype transmission supported the hypothesis of the involvement of a recessive mutation (te...

Becoming a phenotypic male is ultimately determined by androgen-induced masculinization. Disorders of fetal masculinization, resulting in hypospadias or cryptorchidism, are common, but their cause remains unclear. Together with the adult-onset disorders low sperm count and testicular cancer, they can constitute a testicular dysgenesis syndrome (TDS). Although masculinization is well studied, no...

Bivalves of the families Mytilidae and Unionidae show a unique mode of mitochondrial DNA inheritance called doubly uniparental inheritance. In addition to receiving the maternally transmitted mtDNA lineage, males receive a separate mtDNA genome from their fathers. This system is sometimes compromised, in that female genomes are occasionally recruited into the male cycle of inheritance. These ma...

Recent studies have established that masculinization of the male reproductive tract is programmed by androgens in a critical fetal 'masculinization programming window' (MPW). What is peculiar to androgen action during this period is, however, unknown. Studies from 20 years ago in mice implicated prostaglandin (PG)-mediation of androgen-induced masculinization, but this has never been followed u...

Masculinization depends on adequate production of testosterone by the fetal testis within a specific "masculinization programming window." Disorders resulting from subtle deficiencies in this process are common in humans, and environmental exposures/lifestyle could contribute causally because common therapeutic and environmental compounds can affect steroidogenesis. This evidence derives mainly...

Prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)) mediates the masculinization of adult sex behavior in rats in response to the surge in serum testosterone at approximately birth. Measures of behavioral masculinization correlate with a twofold increase in spinophilin protein and the density of dendritic spines in the medial preoptic area (POA). Of the four receptors for PGE(2), EP(2) and EP(4) are required for the m...

the objective of this study was to determine the efficacy of two procedures i.e. feeding and immersion followed by feeding, for masculinizing blue hap. two experiments (experiments i and ii) were conducted. in experiment i, feeding hormonal treatment was applied on post-yolk sac stage fry (10 days after fertilization at 27ºc). dosages of 30mg (group a) and 60mg (group b) of 17α-methyltestostero...