Roles of the androgen receptor in the sexual differentiation in the mouse submandibular gland

我们检测了雄激素受体（ARKO）缺乏小鼠的SMG。ARKO雄鼠的颗粒卷曲小管（GCT）发育与对照雌鼠一样低。雄激素的使用对ARKO SMG无影响，而甲状腺激素（T4）的使用可使纹状管细胞转化为GCT细胞。这些结果证实雄激素引起的GCT分化依赖于经典雄激素受体（AR），而T4引起的GCT分化与经典雄激素受体（AR）无关。对ARKO SMG中基因表达谱的分析揭示了新的GCT特异性基因以及雄激素在SMG中上调或下调的基因，而不涉及经典AR。

We examined the SMG of mice deficient of the androgen receptor (ARKO). The development of granular convoluted tubules (GCT) in ARKO male was as low as in control female. The administration of androgens had no effect, whereas the administration of thyroid hormone (T4) caused the conversion of striated duct cells into GCT cells in ARKO SMG. These results confirmed that GCT differentiation caused by androgens is dependent on the classical androgen receptor (AR), whereas that by T4 is independent of the AR. Analysis of the gene expression profiles in ARKO SMG revealed new GCT-specific genes as well as genes up-or down-regulated in the SMG by androgens without involvement of the classical AR.