Sex hormones Flashcards
Testosterone actions
Stimulates enlargement of testes and male accessory organs
Stimulates development of male secondary sex characteristics
Suppresses FSH and LH secretion and GnRH production
Metabolism of testosterone
by 5-alpha reductase to active metabolite dihydrotestosterone (DHT)
Dihydrotestosterone (DHT)
causes development of male external genitalia
by binding to cytoplasmic androgen receptors
Leydig cells of testes
activated by LH and secrete testosterone
Sertoli cells
activated by FSH
secrete anti-mullerian hormone and androgen binding protein (ABP)
Anti-mullerian hormone (AMH) function
causes regression of mullerian duct
Androgens made within adrenal cortex
testosterone, androstenedione and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA)
Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) function
causes early development of pubic/body hair in boys and girls
testosterone release process
- testes release testosterone
- 5-alpha reductase convert testosterone to DHT
- DHT binds to androgen receptor which releases heat shock proteins (hsp)
- hsp migrate to nucleus and bind to specific regions of DNA that contain Androgen Response Elements (ARE)
- ARE drive expression of genes that increase: growth, survival and PSA production
sex hormones secreted by pituitary gland
LH and FSH
hormone released by hypothalamus
GnRH (gonadotropin releasing hormone)
role of GnRH
stimulation of LH and FSH secretion
role of FSH and LH
stimulate gamete production in the gonads
how many sperm cells does 1 germ cell (spermatogonium) produce
1 germ cell = 1 primary spermatocyte = 2 secondary spermatocytes = 4 sperm cells
what is the product of Sex-determining region of Y chromosome (SRY gene)
testis-determining factor
male development at 10-week old foetus
- SRY protein in male embryo detects medulla of biopotential gonad to develop into testes
- Anti-Mullerian hormone from testis causes the mullerian ducts to diappear
male development at birth
- testosterone from testis converts Wolffian duct into seminal vesicle, vas deferens and epididymis
(DHT control prostate development)
what happens to gonad (cortex) in male and female development
M - regresses
F - forms ovary