Development of the normal XY male and sex-reversed XXSxr pseudomale mouse epididymis

XXSxr pseudomale mice (chromosomally XX animals "sex-reversed" by the Sxr factor) develop testes and produce sufficient androgens for masculinization as assessed at the macroscopic level. However, adult XXSxr pseudomales lack the epididymal initial segment (I.S.). In this study prenatal and postnatal epididymal development was examined histologically and biochemically, and it was found that XXSxr pseudomales are indistinguishable from normal XY males up to day 21 of postnatal life. By 25 days postnatally, before the onset of the pubertal androgen surge, the I.S. precursor is evident in normal animals but absent in XXSxr mutants. No major abnormalities were seen in other segments of the XXSxr epididymis. Our data suggest that androgen levels in testis and epididymis are not higher in normal XY males than in XXSxr pseudomale mice of the same age. Inadequate availability of androgens at the target site is unlikely to be the cause of the epididymal abnormality in XXSxr pseudomale mice.