spacer gif spacer gif spacer gif spacer gif ARCHIVE ANNOUNCEMENT! spacer gif
 QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


spacer gif
     Home     Help     Feedback     Subscriptions     Archive     Search     Table of Contents    

doi: 10.1242/10.1242/dev.00316


This Article
Right arrow Figures Only
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Meeks, J. J.
Right arrow Articles by Jameson, J. L.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Meeks, J. J.
Right arrow Articles by Jameson, J. L.
Development 130, 1029-1036 (2003)
Copyright © 2003 The Company of Biologists Limited


DEVELOPMENT AND DISEASE

Dax1 regulates testis cord organization during gonadal differentiation

Joshua J. Meeks1, Susan E. Crawford2, Theron A. Russell1, Ken-ichiro Morohashi3, Jeffrey Weiss1 and J. Larry Jameson1,*

1 Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism, and Molecular Medicine. Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL 60611, USA
2 Department of Pathology. Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL 60611, USA
3 Department of Developmental Biology, National Institute for Basic Biology, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8585, Japan

* Author for correspondence (e-mail: ljameson{at}northwestern.edu)

Accepted 19 November 2002

Mutations of the DAX1 nuclear receptor gene cause adrenal hypoplasia congenita, an X-linked disorder characterized by adrenal insufficiency and hypogonadotropic hypogonadism. Targeted deletion of Dax1 in mice also reveals primary testicular dysgenesis, which is manifest by obstruction of the rete testis by Sertoli cells and hyperplastic Leydig cells, leading to seminiferous tubule dilation and degeneration of germ cells. Because Dax1 is expressed early in gonadal development, and because Sertoli and Leydig cells are located ectopically in the adult, we hypothesized that these testis abnormalities are the result of an early defect in testis development. In Dax1-/Y males, the gonad develops normally until 12.5 dpc. However, by 13.5 dpc, the testis cords are disorganized and incompletely formed in Dax1-deficient mice. The number of germ and Sertoli cells is unchanged, and the expression of Sertoli-specific markers appears to be normal. However, the number of peritubular myoid cells, which normally surround the testis cords, is reduced. BrdU labeling of peritubular myoid cells is low, consistent with decreased proliferation. The basal lamina produced by peritubular myoid and Sertoli cells is disrupted, leading to open and incompletely formed testis cords. Leydig cells, which normally reside in the peritubular space and extend from the coelomic surface to the dorsal surface of the gonad, are restricted to the coelomic surface of Dax1-deficient testis. We conclude that Dax1 plays a crucial role in testis differentiation by regulating the development of peritubular myoid cells and the formation of intact testis cords. The developmental abnormalities in the Dax1-deficient testis lay the foundation for gonadal dysgenesis and infertility in adult mice and, potentially in humans with DAX1 mutations.

Key words: Dax1, Sex differentiation, Gonadal development, Mouse




This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
EndocrinologyHome page
Y. Ikeda, H. Tanaka, and M. Esaki
Effects of Gestational Diethylstilbestrol Treatment on Male and Female Gonads during Early Embryonic Development
Endocrinology, August 1, 2008; 149(8): 3970 - 3979.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Biol. Reprod.Home page
G.-C. Wu, S. Tomy, and C.-F. Chang
The Expression of nr0b1 and nr5a4 During Gonad Development and Sex Change in Protandrous Black Porgy Fish, Acanthopagrus schlegeli
Biol Reprod, February 1, 2008; 78(2): 200 - 210.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Mol. Endocrinol.Home page
C. M. Shoemaker, J. Queen, and D. Crews
Response of Candidate Sex-Determining Genes to Changes in Temperature Reveals Their Involvement in the Molecular Network Underlying Temperature-Dependent Sex Determination
Mol. Endocrinol., November 1, 2007; 21(11): 2750 - 2763.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Toxicol SciHome page
K. W. Gaido, J. B. Hensley, D. Liu, D. G. Wallace, S. Borghoff, K. J. Johnson, S. J. Hall, and K. Boekelheide
Fetal Mouse Phthalate Exposure Shows that Gonocyte Multinucleation is Not Associated with Decreased Testicular Testosterone
Toxicol. Sci., June 1, 2007; 97(2): 491 - 503.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
J EndocrinolHome page
P. R Manna, Y. Jo, and D. M Stocco
Regulation of Leydig cell steroidogenesis by extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2: role of protein kinase A and protein kinase C signaling
J. Endocrinol., April 1, 2007; 193(1): 53 - 63.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Physiol. Rev.Home page
D. Wilhelm, S. Palmer, and P. Koopman
Sex Determination and Gonadal Development in Mammals
Physiol Rev, January 1, 2007; 87(1): 1 - 28.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Toxicol SciHome page
J. M. Naciff, K. A. Hess, G. J. Overmann, S. M. Torontali, G. J. Carr, J. P. Tiesman, L. M. Foertsch, B. D. Richardson, J. E. Martinez, and G. P. Daston
Gene Expression Changes Induced in the Testis by Transplacental Exposure to High and Low Doses of 17{alpha}-Ethynyl Estradiol, Genistein, or Bisphenol A
Toxicol. Sci., August 1, 2005; 86(2): 396 - 416.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
DevelopmentHome page
G. J. Bouma, K. H. Albrecht, L. L. Washburn, A. K. Recknagel, G. A. Churchill, and E. M. Eicher
Gonadal sex reversal in mutant Dax1 XY mice: a failure to upregulate Sox9 in pre-Sertoli cells
Development, July 1, 2005; 132(13): 3045 - 3054.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Biol. Reprod.Home page
K. Liu, K. P. Lehmann, M. Sar, S. S. Young, and K. W. Gaido
Gene Expression Profiling Following In Utero Exposure to Phthalate Esters Reveals New Gene Targets in the Etiology of Testicular Dysgenesis
Biol Reprod, July 1, 2005; 73(1): 180 - 192.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
DevelopmentHome page
S. Y. Park, J. J. Meeks, G. Raverot, L. E. Pfaff, J. Weiss, G. D. Hammer, and J. L. Jameson
Nuclear receptors Sf1 and Dax1 function cooperatively to mediate somatic cell differentiation during testis development
Development, May 15, 2005; 132(10): 2415 - 2423.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
GENES CELLSHome page
M. Matsuyama, H. Mizusaki, A. Shimono, T. Mukai, K. Okumura, K. Abe, K. Shimada, and K.-i. Morohashi
A novel isoform of Vinexin, Vinexin {gamma}, regulates Sox9 gene expression through activation of MAPK cascade in mouse fetal gonad
Genes Cells, May 1, 2005; 10(5): 421 - 434.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
EndocrinologyHome page
S. Y. Park and J. L. Jameson
Minireview: Transcriptional Regulation of Gonadal Development and Differentiation
Endocrinology, March 1, 2005; 146(3): 1035 - 1042.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Biol. Reprod.Home page
H. Suzuki, M. Yagi, K. Saito, and K. Suzuki
Dysplastic Development of Seminiferous Tubules and Interstitial Tissue in Rat Hypogonadic (hgn/hgn) Testes
Biol Reprod, July 1, 2004; 71(1): 104 - 116.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Biol. Reprod.Home page
J. E. Shima, D. J. McLean, J. R. McCarrey, and M. D. Griswold
The Murine Testicular Transcriptome: Characterizing Gene Expression in the Testis During the Progression of Spermatogenesis
Biol Reprod, July 1, 2004; 71(1): 319 - 330.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Mol. Cell. Biol.Home page
J. Weiss, J. J. Meeks, L. Hurley, G. Raverot, A. Frassetto, and J. L. Jameson
Sox3 Is Required for Gonadal Function, but Not Sex Determination, in Males and Females
Mol. Cell. Biol., November 15, 2003; 23(22): 8084 - 8091.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Mol. Endocrinol.Home page
E. Lalli and P. Sassone-Corsi
DAX-1, an Unusual Orphan Receptor at the Crossroads of Steroidogenic Function and Sexual Differentiation
Mol. Endocrinol., August 1, 2003; 17(8): 1445 - 1453.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]




© The Company of Biologists Ltd 2003