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Müllerian duct regression in a marsupial, the tammar wallaby
D J Whitworth1, G Shaw, M B Renfree
1Department of Zoology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
Abstract:
Müllerian duct regression is first apparent in male pouch young of the tammar wallaby (Macropus eugenii) 6-7 days after birth and, as in eutherian mammals, is characterised by a condensation of the periductal mesenchyme into a whorl around the ductal epithelial cells. A decrease in the density of the extracellular matrix was observed in the region of the whorl. In contrast to eutherian mammals no changes were observed in the mean outer diameter of the Müllerian duct during the early stages of regression. The time at which these mesenchymal changes occur corresponds to the period of Müllerian inhibiting substance secretion in the postnatal tammar testis.