New insights on the morphology of adult mouse penis.

The adult mouse penis represents the end point of masculine sex differentiation of the embryonic genital tubercle and contains bone, cartilage, the urethra, erectile bodies, several types of epithelium, and many individual cell types arrayed into specific anatomical structures. Using contemporary high-resolution imaging techniques, we sought to provide new insights to the current description of adult mouse penile morphology to enable understanding of penile abnormalities, including hypospadias. Examination of serial transverse and longitudinal sections, scanning electron microscopy, and three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction provided a new appreciation of the individual structures in the adult mouse penis and their 3D interrelationships.

Morphology of the external genitalia of the adult male and female mice as an endpoint of sex differentiation.

Adult external genitalia (ExG) are the endpoints of normal sex differentiation. Detailed morphometric analysis and comparison of adult mouse ExG has revealed 10 homologous features distinguishing the penis and clitoris that define masculine vs. feminine sex differentiation.

Morphology of mouse external genitalia: implications for a role of estrogen in sexual dimorphism of the mouse genital tubercle.

Purpose: We examined the role of androgens and estrogens in mammalian sexual differentiation by morphological characterization of adult wt and mutant mouse external genitalia. We tested the hypothesis that external genitalia development depends on androgen and estrogen action.

Materials And Methods: We studied serial sections of the external genitalia of the CD-1 and C57BL6 wt strains of adult mice (Charles River Laboratories, Wilmington, Massachusetts).