Genes regulating testis size. |
| |
Authors: | C Chubb |
| |
Institution: | Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas 75235-9039. |
| |
Abstract: | The studies described here provide information about the genetic and morphological bases for the significant differences in testis size among three closely related C57BL mouse substrains: C57BL/6J, C57BL/6ByJ, and C57BL/10J. C57BL/6J mice have normal-size testes while the other two substrains have small-size testes. Genes controlling testis size are postulated to be among the estimated forty genes that differ between the C57BL/6J and C57BL/6ByJ substrains. The number of genes involved in testis size regulation was examined using recombinant inbred mouse strains. An investigation of the role of Y chromosome genes was performed by completing molecular analyses with a mouse Y chromosome-specific probe. Sertoli and germ cell counts provided insight into the morphological basis for the different testis sizes. The experimental results suggest that there are at least two autosomal testis-size genes and that they control testis size by regulating the number of Sertoli cells. |
| |
Keywords: | |
|
|