Androgen Synthesis in Absence of Leydig and Sertoli Cells in a Germ Cell Fraction from Rat Seminiferous Tubules1

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Abstract
We have examined tissue recombinants composed of wild-type (rat or mouse) urogenital sinus mesenchyme plus adult testicular feminized (Tfm/y) bladder epithelium for the autoradiographic localization of androgen binding. In the presence of androgens, wild-type mesenchyme reprogrammed the androgen-insensitive bladder epithelium to undergo prostatic morphogenesis. Steroid autoradiography of [3H] dihydrotestosterone or [3H] methyltrienolone binding in these recombinants, however, showed that the ligands were specifically bound only in the nuclei of stromal cells, indicating that the effects of androgens on prostatic morphogenesis are mediated by the mesenchyme. Furthermore, autoradiograms prepared from recombinants that were exposed to [3H] thymidine showed that the generation of prostatic form required a specific, androgen-induced proliferation in the androgen-insensitive bladder epithelium. The significance of these data in relation to epithelial-stromal interactions occurring during prostate development is discussed.