Gonadal sex reversal of the developing marsupial ovary in vivo and in vitro

Abstract

Undifferentiated tammar wallaby ovaries were transplanted under the skin of male pouch young during the period of mitotic division of the XX germ cells. After 25 days, all the germ cells had disappeared and the ovaries contained seminiferous-like cords. Similarly, undifferentiated ovaries cultured for 4 days with recombinant human Mullerian-inhibiting substance (rhMIS) also contained well-differentiated seminiferous-like cords and few or no surviving germ cells. The majority of controls cultured without rhMIS developed as normal ovaries. However, in a few control ovaries seminiferous-like cords developed in those regions of the ovaries that were partially necrotic and contained few germ cell..