Abstract
REGRESSION of Müllerian ducts in male foetuses is mediated by a testicular factor distinct from testosterone1. This anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH), a protein which has been partially purified2, is synthesised by foetal Sertoli cells3. In mammals the first stage of testicular differentiation involves the arrangement of sustentacular or Sertoli cells around the gonocytes and their encasement in testicular cords. Leydig cells appear later in the interstitium and their differentiation is correlated with the onset of steroidogenesis. We thought that there might also be a correlation between the initiation of testicular anti-Müllerian activity and the differentiation of Sertoli cells. Little work has been done on anti-Müllerian activity of the early foetal testis. During the initial stages of testicular organogenesis in the rat4 and the guinea pig5, AMH production is low, but the rapid pace of sex differentiation in most rodents hampers sequential study. Using sows (Sus scrofa), we have avoided this problem, and confirmed that the correlation exists.
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TRAN, D., JOSSO, N. & MEUSY-DESSOLLE, N. Anti-Müllerian hormone is a functional marker of foetal Sertoli cells. Nature 269, 411–412 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1038/269411a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/269411a0
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