The female reproductive tract develops from its embryonic precursor, the Müllerian duct. In close proximity to the Müllerian duct lies the precursor for the male reproductive tract, the Wolffian duct, which is eliminated in the female embryo during sexual differentiation. We discovered that a component of the Wolffian duct, its mesenchyme, is not eliminated after sexual differentiation. Instead, the Wolffian duct mesenchyme underwent changes in transcriptome and chromatin accessibility from male tract to female tract identity, and became a unique mesenchymal population in the female reproductive tract with localization and transcriptome distinct from the mesenchyme derived from the Müllerian duct. Partial ablation of the Wolffian duct mesenchyme stunted the growth of the fetal female reproductive tract in ex vivo organ culture. These findings reveal a new fetal origin of mesenchymal tissues for female reproductive tract formation and reshape our understanding of sexual differentiation of reproductive tracts.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9523451PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/pnasnexus/pgac182DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

reproductive tract
24
wolffian duct
20
female reproductive
20
duct mesenchyme
16
müllerian duct
12
sexual differentiation
12
duct
8
tract
8
tract female
8
female
7

Similar Publications

From spermatogenesis to fertilisation: the role of melatonin on ram spermatozoa.

Domest Anim Endocrinol

January 2025

BIOFITER-IUCA, Universidad de Zaragoza, Facultad de Veterinaria, Miguel Servet 177, 50013 Zaragoza, Spain. Electronic address:

This review presents recent findings on the effect of melatonin on ram spermatozoa. This hormone regulates seasonal reproduction in the ovine species through the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis, but it also exerts direct effects on spermatogenesis, seminal quality and fertility. In the testis, melatonin stimulates blood flow to this organ, but it also appears to be involved in the differentiation of spermatogonial stem cells and the secretion of testosterone through the MT1 and MT2 receptors.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objectives: Acetylated tubulin is a hallmark of flagellar stability in spermatozoa, and studies have demonstrated the ability of CDYL to function as a tubulin acetyltransferase in spermatozoa. Of note, germline conditional knockout of Cdyl can lead to asthenoteratozoospermia and infertility in male mice. However, the role of CDYL gene in human fertility remains uncharacterized.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The "prostate-pelvic syndrome" theory used in patients with type-III prostatitis and its correlation with prostate volume.

BMC Urol

January 2025

Department of Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Urological and Andrological Diseases Research and Medical Transformation, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230022, China.

Background: Type-III prostatitis is the most common prostate disease in adult males below 40 years old. The actual operation of its diagnosis process is cumbersome. Recently, a group of top Chinese urologists have proposed the theory of "prostate-pelvic syndrome (PPS)" and suggested using it to replace the traditional term for type-III prostatitis.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

This consensus on primary hyperparathyroidism, drawn up under the aegises of the French Society of Endocrinology (SFE), French Association of Endocrine Surgery (AFCE) and French Society of Nuclear Medicine (SFMN), provides an update on positive, etiological and differential diagnosis and treatment in primary hyperparathyroidism. These recommendations take account of recent increase in the prevalence of primary hyperparathyroidism, due to 1. more systematic routine measurement of blood calcium and improved quality of parathyroid hormone assays, 2.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Chapter 4: DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSIS of PRIMARY HYPERPARATHYROIDISM.

Ann Endocrinol (Paris)

January 2025

Service d'Endocrinologie, Diabétologie, Métabolisme, Nutrition; Hôpital Huriez, CHU Lille; Inserm U1190, Institut Génomique Européen pour le Diabète, Université de Lille, F-59000 Lille, France. Electronic address:

The differential diagnosis of primary hyperparathyroidism can be considered clinically, biologically and radiologically. Clinically, primary hyperparathyroidism should be suspected in case of diffuse pain, renal lithiasis, osteoporosis, repeated fracture, cognitive or psychiatric disorder, or disturbance of consciousness. Nevertheless, the differential diagnosis of primary hyperparathyroidism is mainly biological, particularly in atypical forms, which must be differentiated from hypercalcemia with hypocalciuria or non- elevated PTH on the one hand, and from normo-calcemia with elevated PTH, hypophosphatemia or hypercalciuria on the other.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!