This section of notes covers the male accessory gland development: prostate gland, seminal vesicles and the bulbourethral (Cowper's) glands.
Adult Male Accessory Gland Anatomy (bladder posterior view)
The development of these glands involve the mesonephric ducts and urogenital sinus differentiating by epithelial-mesenchymal interactions and hormonal signaling mainly by dihydrotestosterone.
Page Links: Introduction | Some Recent Findings | Prostate | Seminal Vesicle | Bulbourethral | Urethral | References | WWW Links | Glossary
Thomsen MK, Butler CM, Shen MM, Swain A. Sox9 is required for prostate development. Dev Biol. 2008 Apr 15;316(2):302-11.
Vezina CM, Allgeier SH, Fritz WA, Moore RW, Strerath M, Bushman W, Peterson RE. Retinoic acid induces prostatic bud formation. Dev Dyn. 2008 Apr 4
"Urogenital sinus (UGS) organ culture, all-trans-retinoic acid (RA) increased prostatic budding, increased Shh expression, and decreased Bmp4. Prostatic budding was stimulated in the absence of RA by recombinant SHH, by blocking BMP4 signaling with NOGGIN, or by combined treatment with SHH and NOGGIN in UGS organ culture media. These observations suggest that reciprocal changes in hedgehog and BMP signaling by RA may regulate bud initiation.
Cook C, Vezina CM, Allgeier SH, Shaw A, Yu M, Peterson RE, Bushman W. Noggin is required for normal lobe patterning and ductal budding in the mouse prostate. Dev Biol. 2007 Dec 1;312(1):217-30.
"Mesenchymal expression of the BMP antagonist NOGGIN during prostate development plays a critical role in pre-natal ventral prostate development and opposes BMP4-mediated inhibition of cell proliferation during postnatal ductal development."
Doles J, Cook C, Shi X, Valosky J, Lipinski R, Bushman W. Functional compensation in Hedgehog signaling during mouse prostate development. Dev Biol. 2006 Jul 1;295(1):13-25.
"These studies showed that genetic loss of Shh is accompanied by an up-regulation of Indian Hedgehog (Ihh) and maintenance of Hh pathway activity. We found that while neither Gli1 nor Gli3 are required for normal prostate ductal budding, the urogenital sinus (UGS) of the Gli2(-/-) mutant mouse displays aberrant ductal budding in utero."
The prostate develops from the cranial urogenital sinus which forms the urethra (prostatic) and then differentiates in response to dihydrotestosterone hormonal signals. Patterning of prostate lobes and ductal budding involve the molecular signals of Sox9, retinoic acid, BMP (mesenchyme) and the BMP antagonist NOGGIN (postnatal ductal development).
Thomsen MK, Butler CM, Shen MM, Swain A. Sox9 is required for prostate development. Dev Biol. 2008 Apr 15;316(2):302-11.
Prostate Abnormalities
Estrogen-induced alterations
The seminal vesicles develop from the mesonephric ducts which will also form the ductus deferens. The glands secretion is high in fructose which functions as any energy source for spermatazoa.
Seminal Vesicles Abnormalities
congenital agenesis of the seminal vesicle (CASV) commonly associated with absence of the ductus deferens.
The paired bulbourethral or Cowper's glands produce a mucus secretion into the spongy urethra. The glands secretion functions to neutralize any acidic urine present in the urethra prior to ejaculation.
In week 10 the intermediate portion of the urogenital sinus forms the pelvic membranous urethra which then responds to dihydrotestosterone hormone signals to initiate formation of the bulbourethral glands directly beneath the prostate gland. (More? Chughtai etal., 2005)
Bulbourethral Abnormalities
Syringocele (Greek, syringo = tube, cele = swelling) dilatation of the Cowper's duct.
The urethral gland also known as preputial or Littre's glands are located in the walls of the penile urethra.
(Alexis Littre, 1658-1726 a French anatomist and surgeon)
Urethral Abnormalities
paraurethral cyst - a rare cyst located in the subglandular penile urethra, an extremely rare pathology
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Search Jan 2007 "Prostate Embryology" 622 reference articles of which 149 were reviews. Search PubMed: term = Prostate Embryology |
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Blue Histology Male Reproductive System | Prostate | Seminal Vesicles
U.S. National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) Program - Male Accessory Glands
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The male and female reproductive systems develop initially "indifferently", it is the product of the Y chromosome SRY gene that makes the difference.
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