Abstract
During the embryonic period, the microscopic anatomy of the testis is formed. The first step in the maturation of germ cells, the transformation of primordial germ cells into gonocytes, takes place. Sertoli cells and Leydig cells differentiate from their progenitors. The Sertoli cells produce Müllerian-inhibiting substance, which will cause regression of the paramesonephric ducts. The Leydig cells produce testosterone, which will cause masculinization of the internal and external genitalia. The embryonic testis begins its control of male sexual differentiation.
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Acknowledgments
The author thanks Dr. Catherine T.-S. Chung from The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada, for invaluable assistance in selecting microscopic slides for photography, taking photomicrographs, and editing the manuscript.
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Huff, D.S., Huff, D.S. (2011). Testis. In: Ernst, L., Ruchelli, E., Huff, D. (eds) Color Atlas of Fetal and Neonatal Histology. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-0019-6_9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-0019-6_9
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