Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UMLS:C0042755 (masculinization)
 2,562 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The urinary 17-ketosteroids are a group of compounds derived from complex steroids produced by the adrenal cortex, testis, or ovary. The method of determining the amount excreted has been simplified so that it is available for routine diagnostic purposes. Usually the amount is increased in diseases in which there is hyperfunction of the adrenal cortex due to tumor or hyperplasia, and decreased in lesions that impair the function of the adrenal cortex. Other conditions such as myxedema, eunuchism, gout, and arthritis may alter the excretion of the 17-ketosteroids. Low levels are also found in the young and in the aged. Case histories are presented to illustrate the findings in the following diseases: Tumors of the adrenal cortex with (a) masculinization, (b) Cushing's syndrome with virilism and, (c) hirsutism; as well as in gigantism with acromegaly, in gout, eunuchism, Addison's disease, myxedema, and severe panhypopituitarism.
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PMID:The clinical significance of urinary 17-ketosteroid assays. 1540 26

Although it has been suggested that in mammals the loss of female germ cells may induce the masculinization of the ovarian compartment, there has been as yet no conclusive demonstration. To directly address that question, the present study has been designed to determine the fate of follicular cells after oocyte loss. Using gamma-irradiation to selectively deplete oocytes in nongrowing follicles in female rats, we show that follicular cells in oocyte-depleted follicles survive, proliferate, and subsequently acquire morphological characteristics of Sertoli cells: elongated cytoplasm, basal location of the nucleus, and specific Sertoli cell junctions, the ectoplasmic specializations. These Sertoli-like cells express, however, the female-specific marker FOXL2 (Forkhead L2) but not the male sex-specific marker SOX-9 (Sry-type high-mobility-group box transcription factor-9) underlying the maintenance of molecular characteristics of granulosa cells. Before transdifferentiating into Sertoli-like cells, follicular cells of oocyte-depleted follicles initiate the expression of anti-Mullerian hormone and inhibin alpha-subunit that are typically synthesized by granulosa cells from the onset of follicular growth. Experimental modifications of the endocrine balance of the irradiated females show that there is a close relationship between plasma FSH levels and the occurrence of Sertoli-like cells. In addition to providing experimental evidence for the crucial role of the oocyte in granulosa cell phenotype maintenance, these results emphasize that the transdifferentiation of granulosa cells into Sertoli cells occurs in a multistep fashion, requiring the maturation of granulosa cells and depending on the endocrine milieu.
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PMID:Follicular cells acquire sertoli cell characteristics after oocyte loss. 1581 64

Sex is remarkably plastic in fish and can be easily influenced by environmental cues, in which temperature has been the most studied abiotic factor. However, it has been shown that elevated population densities can increase the number of males in several species but little is known about the underlying molecular mechanisms and whether general patterns exist. Here, we studied the long-term effects of population density on the gene expression program in zebrafish gonads. The ovarian transcriptome of females exposed to high versus low population densities contained 4,634 differentially expressed genes. Among them, a set of promale genes (amh, sypc3, spata6, and sox3) were upregulated in the high-population density group. Next, we compared the transcriptomes of ovaries of female zebrafish resistant to the masculinizing effects of either high density or elevated temperature. Results showed a set of 131 and 242 common upregulated and downregulated genes, respectively, including the upregulation of known male-related genes (e.g., amh and sycp3) but also genes involved in other functions (e.g., faima, ccm21, and ankrd6b) and a downregulation of cyp19a1a together with other genes (e.g., lgals9l1 and ubxn2a). We identified the common Gene Ontology terms involved in the reproduction and sexual development that were consistently affected in both environmental factors. These results show that regardless of the environmental perturbation there are common genes and cellular functions involved in the resistance to masculinization. These altered gene-expression profiles can be used as markers indicative of previous exposure to environmental stress independent of conspicuous alterations in sex ratios or gonadal morphology.
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PMID:Ovarian transcriptomic signatures of zebrafish females resistant to different environmental perturbations. 3094 4