Disease relevance of Wolffian Duct

• To provide insight into the mechanism of wolffian duct virilization the androgen receptor has been characterized in pooled epididymal tissue from Day 27 rabbit embryos [1].
• CONCLUSIONS: Preliminary data suggest that dioxin produces cryptorchidism and wolffian duct anomalies in male swine exposed just before mid gestation [2].

High impact information on Wolffian Duct

• Nephronectin is a new extracellular matrix protein associated with the Wolffian duct and the ureteric bud, epithelial structures with well-defined roles in kidney development [3].
• The localized expression of GDNF by the metanephric mesenchyme, together with several types of negative regulation, is important to elicit and correctly position the initial budding event from the Wolffian duct [4].
• Pax-2 and c-ret expressions in the Wolffian duct and WT-1 and GDNF expressions in the metanephric blastema were initially normal in the mutant [5].
• The c-ret gene encodes a receptor tyrosine kinase that is expressed in the Wolffian duct and ureteric bud of the developing excretory system [6].
• Upper Wolffian duct epithelium, instructively induced to undergo seminal vesicle morphogenesis, did not express epididymis-specific secretory proteins, showing that its normal development had been simultaneously repressed [7].

Biological context of Wolffian Duct

• Characterization of Pax-2 regulatory sequences that direct transgene expression in the Wolffian duct and its derivatives [8].
• During embryogenesis, GFP expression was first detected at embryonic day E13 in the adrenal gland and Wolffian duct [9].
• After completion of basic organogenesis, the neural tube, notochord, otic placode, Wolffian duct, mesonephros and intestinal tube expressed insulin, IGF-I and glucocorticoid receptor [10].

Anatomical context of Wolffian Duct

• This showed that the seminal vesicle epithelium in the recombinants was derived from instructively induced Wolffian duct epithelium and not from epithelial contamination of the mesenchymal inductor [7].
• These studies demonstrated a transient expression of ABP in hepatocytes during the time of testosterone-dependent differentiation of the Wolffian duct [11].
• Pax-2 is expressed in the epithelia of the ureter, the Müllerian duct, and the Wolffian duct and in the nephrogenic mesenchyme [8].
• The IgG preparation of the immune serum specifically prevented Wolffian duct differentiation when tested in organ culture containing 13-day-old fetal male or female reproductive tracts in the presence of testis or testosterone (1 micrograms/ml) in a dose-dependent manner [12].
• The Wolffian duct is an androgen-sensitive target tissue that develops into the epididymis, vas deferens, and seminal vesicle [13].

Associations of Wolffian Duct with chemical compounds

• Residual activity of mutant androgen receptors explains wolffian duct development in the complete androgen insensitivity syndrome [14].
• The present study suggests the importance of spatial/regional factors in Wolffian duct development in regard to the role of dihydrotestosterone [15].
• In this communication, we further investigated the role played by PGE2 in the testosterone-induced differentiation of the internal genital tract (Wolffian duct) of the fetal mouse [16].
• The control male preparation induced Wolffian duct whereas the estradiol sample was completely ineffective and the cyproterone acetate sample was partially effective in inducing Wolffian duct [17].
• Each androgen has its own specific role during male sexual differentiation, testosterone is involved in the development and differentiation of Wolffian duct derived structures, whereas 5 alpha-dihydrotestosterone, a metabolite of testosterone, is the active ligand in the urogenital sinus and tubercle and their derived structures [18].

Gene context of Wolffian Duct

• In situ hybridization experiments using mouse embryos showed that during kidney development, Klf6 was expressed selectively in the Wolffian duct and in its derivatives [19].
• We find that chicken Dmrt1 is expressed in the genital ridge and Wolffian duct prior to sexual differentiation and is expressed at higher levels in ZZ than in ZW embryos [20].
• The addition of Gdnf protein to urogenital tracts taken from Gdf11 null embryos induced ectopic ureteric bud formation along the Wolffian duct [21].
• Applied locally on agarose beads, neurturin induces supernumerary ureteric buds to emerge from the wolffian duct and causes nearby collecting duct branches to distend to an abnormally large diameter [22].
• However, the Wolffian duct from Wt1 -/- embryos was a competent inducer of wild-type metanephric mesenchyme [23].

Analytical, diagnostic and therapeutic context of Wolffian Duct

• Immunocytochemistry revealed that most of the cells of the gonad and associated Wolffian duct stained for ER on fetal day 13 [24].
• RESULTS: PGP 9.5 immunoreactivity was found in the Wolffian duct of human embryos (55-85 mm crown-rump length) [25].
• Expression of an EGF-like protein during Wolffian duct differentiation was indicated from the determinations by radioimmunoassay (RIA) and radioreceptor assay [26].

References