Requirement of WT1 for gonad and adrenal development: insights from transgenic animals

Development of the gonad and adrenal gland occurs in close proximity and it has been proposed that they share a common primordium. Recent knockout and transgenic studies in mice have demonstrated that besides the orphan nuclear receptor SF1, the Wilms' tumor suppressor gene WT1 is important for gonad and adrenal gland development. WT1 is a complex gene with at least 24 isoforms produced from its locus. Although the role of each isoform is not yet understood, biochemical studies and analyses of human patients suggest that they do serve different functions in the cell. Here we present our current view of the part WT1 may play in the development of the gonad and discuss its possible role in the formation of the adrenal primordium.