James S C, Hooper G, Asher J H
J Exp Zool. 1980 Dec;214(3):261-75. doi: 10.1002/jez.1402140304.
The gene Wh, causing anophthalmia in the Syrian hamster, Mesocricetus auratus, is a highly pleiotropic gene, which has profound effects upon eye development, pigmentation, and reproduction. Since male hamsters homozygous for this gene are usually sterile, the objective of this study was to determine whether the testes of mutant hamsters differed from the normal phenotype. Accordingly, the testicular tissue from ten normal, ten heterozygous, and ten homozygous mutant animals in the AN/As-Wh strain were compared at the gross, light, and electron microscopic level. Testicular tissue from several mutant animals approached the normal phenotype, due to variable expression of the gene. However, most testes from homozygous mutant hamsters were hypoplastic and aspermic. Abnormalities were observed in Leydig cells, Sertoli cells, and in the developing germ cells. Seminiferous tubules contained germinal epithelium arrested in the early spermatid stage of spermiogenesis, possibly due to premature failure of the Golgi apparatus and subsequent dysgenesis of the acrosome. Since the primary action of the gene is unknown, it was postulated that the gene either acts directly to alter pituitary function, or that the abnormalities in reproduction are due to a failure of eye development and subsequent lack of function of the visual pathway.
导致叙利亚仓鼠（金仓鼠）无眼畸形的基因Wh是一个高度多效性基因，它对眼睛发育、色素沉着和繁殖有深远影响。由于该基因的纯合雄性仓鼠通常不育，本研究的目的是确定突变仓鼠的睾丸是否与正常表型不同。因此，在大体、光学和电子显微镜水平上，对AN/As-Wh品系的10只正常、10只杂合和10只纯合突变动物的睾丸组织进行了比较。由于该基因的可变表达，几只突变动物的睾丸组织接近正常表型。然而，大多数纯合突变仓鼠的睾丸发育不全且无精子。在睾丸间质细胞、支持细胞和发育中的生殖细胞中均观察到异常。生精小管中的生精上皮停滞在精子发生的早期精子细胞阶段，这可能是由于高尔基体过早衰竭以及随后顶体发育异常所致。由于该基因的主要作用尚不清楚，推测该基因要么直接作用于改变垂体功能，要么生殖异常是由于眼睛发育失败以及随后视觉通路功能缺失所致。
