Wilkinson L, Sweeny P R, Blecher S R
School of Human Biology, University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada.
Arch Androl. 1988;20(1):11-20. doi: 10.3109/01485018808987047.
Sex reversed (Sxr), a duplication of the Y chromosomal testis-determining factor in mice, causes testis development in XXSxr animals. No effects of Sxr on nongonadal organs are expected. However, we have previously shown that the epididymis of XXSxr pseudomale (sex-reversed) mice lacks the Initial Segment. In the present study we examined the ultrastructure of the head of the epididymis of adult and 21-day old XXSxr pseudomale mice. Epithelial cells of both adult and juvenile XXSxr animals contain numerous vesicles, some within mitochondria. The basal lamina is thickened and infolded. The periepithelial layer is abnormally thick, with distorted smooth muscle cells and fibrocytes that also contain lysosomelike vesicles, often in mitochondria, and excessively wide intercellular spaces. Normal collagen fibrils are infrequent; they are in part replaced by wisps of nondiscrete material, possibly immature collagen. Sxr is known to affect spermatogenesis and Sertoli cells. The abnormal conjugation of sex-determining genes in XXSxr appears also to subvert mesenchymal-epithelial development in both epididymis and testis. We believe the most likely explanation of our data is that the XXSxr genotype is not testis specific but also influences the epididymis directly.
性反转（Sxr）是小鼠Y染色体睾丸决定因子的重复，导致XXSxr动物发育出睾丸。预计Sxr对非性腺器官没有影响。然而，我们之前已经表明，XXSxr假雄性（性反转）小鼠的附睾缺乏起始段。在本研究中，我们检查了成年和21日龄XXSxr假雄性小鼠附睾头部的超微结构。成年和幼年XXSxr动物的上皮细胞都含有大量囊泡，有些囊泡在线粒体内。基膜增厚并内褶。上皮周围层异常增厚，平滑肌细胞和纤维细胞扭曲，这些细胞也含有类似溶酶体的囊泡，通常在线粒体内，细胞间隙过宽。正常的胶原纤维很少见；它们部分被不成束的物质取代，可能是未成熟的胶原。已知Sxr会影响精子发生和支持细胞。XXSxr中性决定基因的异常结合似乎也破坏了附睾和睾丸的间充质-上皮发育。我们认为，对我们数据最可能的解释是XXSxr基因型并非睾丸特异性，而是也直接影响附睾。
