Abstract
The male genital tract is diverse among vertebrates, but its development remains unclear, especially in the rete region. In this study, we investigated the testis–mesonephros complex of rabbit, chicken, and frog (Xenopus tropicalis) by immunohistochemistry for markers such as Ad4BP/Sf-1 (gonadal somatic and rete cells in mammals) and Pax2 (mesonephric tubules), and performed a three-dimensional reconstruction. In all investigated animals, testis cords were bundled at the mesonephros side. Rete cells positive for Ad4BP/Sf-1 (rabbit) or Pax2 (chicken and frog) were clustered at the border region between the testis and mesonephros. The cluster possessed two types of cords; one connected to the testis cords and the other to the mesonephric tubules. The latter rete cords were contiguous to Bowman’s capsules in rabbit and chicken but to nephrostomes in frog. In conclusion, this study showed that mammals, avian species, and frogs commonly develop the bundle between the testis cords (testis canal) and the cluster of rete cells (lateral kidney canal), indicating that these animals share basic morphogenesis in the male genital tract. The connection site between the rete cells and mesonephric tubules is suggested to have changed from the nephrostome to the Bowman’s capsule during vertebrate evolution from anamniote to amniote.
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The materials in this study are commercially available, except for the goat anti-AMH antibody.
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Acknowledgements
We sincerely appreciate Professor Koichiro Ichimura for his advice on the use of the rabbit mesonephros. Xenopus tropicalis was provided by Hiroshima University Amphibian Research Center through National BioResource Project (NBRP) of AMED under Grant Number JP20km0210085. We appreciate Mr. Shuichi Yamazaki for his technical assistance in making serial paraffin sections. We also thank Ms. Xi Wu, Ms. Miyuki Kuramasu, and Ms. Yuki Ogawa for their assistance in routine immunohistochemistry procedures, image processing, and secretary works. This study was supported by JSPS KAKENHI under Grant Number JP19K16483.
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JSPS KAKENHI; Grant Number JP19K16483.
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T.O. conceived this study, performed experiments, evaluated the data, and wrote the manuscript. H.N. evaluated three-dimensional results and wrote and reviewed the manuscript. K.N. performed experiments and reviewed the manuscript. M.I. wrote and reviewed the manuscript.
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All animal experiments were performed according to protocols approved by the Tokyo Medical University Committee.
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Omotehara, T., Nakata, H., Nagahori, K. et al. Comparative anatomy on the development of sperm transporting pathway between the testis and mesonephros. Histochem Cell Biol 157, 321–332 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00418-021-02057-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00418-021-02057-x