A study on the role of cortical epithelial cells in the development of female gonads in rat

Abstract

Contrary to the belief by many workers that the gonadal blastema in rodents and sheep is derived from mesonephros alone, the present work convincingly suggests that proliferation of cortical cords arising out of the surface epithelium of the gonads significantly contributes to the gonadal cell mass in rat. Formation of distinct cortical cords, having well demarcated cellular margins, arising from the epithelial layer covering the gonads was observed. A few of these cords were long enough to suggest that they could contribute to the cellular mass of the gonadal stroma. Exposure to an antimitotoic agent cyclophosphamide (CP) during fetal life, before and after arrival of primodial germ cells (PGCs) in the gonad led to a total denudation of the epithelium from the surface of the developing gonad, arresting the availability of somatic cells of cortical origin. This denudation of surface epithelium can be ascribed either to (1) a direct effect of CP on the epithelial cells causing their death and necrosis and/or (2) making PGCs non-functional which are essential for the inductive influence on the cortical epithelium for proliferation. The non-availability of cortical cells probably led to faulty development of follicles in the ovary ending in maldevelopment of the gonad.