Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Vincent Center For Reproductive Biology, Boston, MA 02114, USA.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2010 Sep 14;107(37):16142-7. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1011606107. Epub 2010 Aug 30.
Müllerian-inhibiting substance (MIS), which is produced by fetal Sertoli cells shortly after commitment of the bipotential gonads to testicular differentiation, causes Müllerian duct (MD) regression. In the fetal female gonads, MIS is not expressed and the MDs will differentiate into the internal female reproductive tract. We have investigated whether dysregulated β-catenin activity affects MD regression by expressing a constitutively activated nuclear form of β-catenin in the MD mesenchyme. We show that constitutively activated (CA) β-catenin causes focal retention of MD tissue in the epididymides and vasa deferentia. In adult mutant mice, the retained MD tissues express α-smooth muscle actin and desmin, which are markers for uterine differentiation. MD retention inhibited the folding complexity of the developing epididymides and usually led to obstructive azoospermia by spermatoceles. The MDs of urogenital ridges from mutant female embryos showed less regression with added MIS in organ culture compared with control MDs when analyzed by whole mount in situ hybridization for Wnt7a as a marker for the MD epithelium. CA β-catenin did not appear to affect expression of either MIS in the embryonic testes or its type II receptor (AMHR2) in the MD mesenchyme nor did it inhibit pSmad1/5/8 nuclear accumulation, suggesting that dysregulated β-catenin must inhibit MD regression independently of MIS signaling. These studies suggest that dysregulated Wnt/β-catenin signaling in the MD mesenchyme might also be a contributing factor in persistent Müllerian duct syndrome, a form of male pseudohermaphroditism, and development of spermatoceles.
缪勒管抑制物质(MIS)由双潜能性腺向睾丸分化后不久的胎儿睾丸支持细胞产生,导致缪勒管(MD)退化。在胎儿女性性腺中,MIS 不表达,MD 将分化为内部女性生殖道。我们研究了β-连环蛋白(β-catenin)活性失调是否通过在 MD 间质中表达组成型激活的核形式β-连环蛋白影响 MD 退化。我们发现组成型激活(CA)β-catenin 导致 MD 组织在附睾和输精管中局灶性保留。在成年突变小鼠中,保留的 MD 组织表达α-平滑肌肌动蛋白和结蛋白,这是子宫分化的标志物。MD 保留抑制了发育中的附睾的折叠复杂性,并且通常通过精囊导致梗阻性无精子症。与对照 MD 相比,当通过 Wnt7a 作为 MD 上皮的标志物进行整体原位杂交分析时,突变雌性胚胎的尿生殖嵴 MD 显示出较少的退化,并且在器官培养中添加 MIS。CA β-catenin 似乎没有影响胚胎睾丸中 MIS 的表达或其在 MD 间质中的 II 型受体(AMHR2),也没有抑制 pSmad1/5/8 核积累,表明失调的β-catenin必须独立于 MIS 信号抑制 MD 退化。这些研究表明,MD 间质中失调的 Wnt/β-catenin 信号传导也可能是持续性缪勒管综合征的一个促成因素,这是一种男性假两性畸形,并且是精囊的发展。
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