UC Davis

The male reproductive system develops from a minimally functioning gonad and nonfunctioning accessory sex glands in the neonate; sex steroids, presumed to be primary influencers of these changes, have been characterized in multiple species. This study focused on the expression of the androgen receptor as the principal mediator of androgen-induced signaling; the 5α reductase enzyme that converts testosterone to the more active dihydrotestosterone; and colony stimulating factor 1, a mediator of macrophage influence on organ development in the pig. The time points chosen to evaluate normal developmental changes during the juvenile and prepubertal intervals included the inflection time points of 6.5 weeks of age at the nadir of circulating estradiol and testosterone concentrations in juveniles, and 11 weeks of age, when these concentrations begin to increase. The role of sex steroid signaling in the regulation of gene expression was evaluated by the blockade of androgen and estrogen receptors and reduction in endogenous estrogens. Expression of colony stimulating factor 1 in the testes gradually decreased during development; developmental profiles in the prostate and seminal vesicles were clearly different. Interference with sex steroid signaling had no effect on the expression of these three genes in testicular tissue and minimal and transient effects in prostate and seminal vesicles.