Anti-Mü llerian hormone is required for chicken embryonic urogenital system growth but not sexual differentiation

Abstract

In mammals, the primary role of anti-Mü llerian hormone (AMH) during development is the regression of Mü llerian ducts in males. These structures otherwise develop into fallopian tubes, oviducts, and upper vagina, as in females. This highly conserved function is retained in birds and is supported by the high levels of AMH expression in developing testes. In mammals, AMH expression is controlled partly by the transcription factor, SOX9. However, in the chicken, AMH mRNA expression precedes that of SOX9, leading to the view that AMH may lie upstream of SOX9 and play a more central role in avian testicular development. To help define the role of AMH in chicken gonad development, we suppressed A..