- Wolffian duct
Infobox Embryology
Name = PAGENAME
Latin = d. mesonephricus, d. Wolffi
GraySubject = 252
GrayPage = 1205
Caption =Urogenital sinus of female humanembryo of eight and a half to nine weeks old.
Caption2 = Transverse section of a chick embryo of forty-five hours’ incubation.
System =
Days = 28
CarnegieStage = 11
Precursor =intermediate mesoderm
GivesRiseTo =ureteric bud
MeshName =
MeshNumber =
DorlandsPre = d_29
DorlandsSuf = 12314957
The Wolffian duct (also known as archinephric duct, Leydig's duct, mesonephric duct, or nephric duct) is a paired organ found in mammals includinghuman s duringembryogenesis .It connects the primitive kidney
Wolffian body (or "mesonephros ") to thecloaca and serves as theanlage for certain malereproductive organ s.Development
In both the male and the female the Wolffian duct develops in to the
trigone of urinary bladder , a part of the bladder wall. However, further development differentiates between the sexes in thedevelopment of the urinary and reproductive organs .Male development
In a
male , it develops into a system of connected organs between thetestis and the prostate, namely therete testis , theefferent ducts , theepididymis , thevas deferens , theseminal vesicle , and theprostate .For this it is critical that the ducts are exposed to
testosterone duringembryogenesis .Testosterone binds to and activatesandrogen receptor , affecting intracellular signals and modifying the expression of numerous genes.cite journal |author=Hannema SE, Print CG, Charnock-Jones DS, Coleman N, Hughes IA |title=Changes in gene expression during Wolffian duct development |journal=Horm. Res. |volume=65 |issue=4 |pages=200–9 |year=2006 |pmid=16567946 |doi=10.1159/000092408]In the mature male, the function of this system is to store and mature sperm, and provide accessory
semen fluid.Female development
In the
female , in the absence of testosterone support, the Wolffian ducts regresses, and inclusions may persist. Theepoophoron andSkene's glands may be present. Also, lateral to the wall of the vagina aGartner's duct or cyst could develop as a remnant.History
It is named after
Caspar Friedrich Wolff who described themesonephros and its ducts in hisdissertation in1759 . [WhoNamedIt|synd|2845]
=AdditionalSee also
*
Fetal genitalia
*List of homologues of the human reproductive system
*Masculinization
*Sexual differentiation
*Müllerian duct References
External links
*
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