Sexual Characteristics of Adult Female Mice Are Correlated with Their Blood Testosterone Levels During Prenatal Development
Abstract
Mice produce litters containing many pups, and the female fetuses that develop between male fetuses have significantly higher concentrations of the male sex steroid testosterone in both their blood and amniotic fluid than do females that develop between other female fetuses. These two types of females differ during later life in many sexually related characteristics. Thus, individual variation in sexual characteristics of adult female mice may be traceable to differential exposure to testosterone during prenatal development because of intrauterine proximity to male fetuses.
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In these litter-bearing species, the sex of neighboring fetuses affects exposure to androgens and estradiol of the developing fetus.
“In these two species, the sex of the neighboring fetuses affects exposure to androgens and estradiol of the developing fetus (Clark et al. 1991; vom Saal and Bronson 1980).”
From Androgens and environmental antiandrogens affect reproductive development and play behavior in the Sprague-Dawley rat. (2002) · cites this paper as vom Saal and Bronson 1980
Cites
Vom Saal, F. S., & Bronson, F. H. (1978) · Biology of Reproduction · doi:10.1095/biolreprod19.4.842 · Cited by 236 · see citing works
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Hormones and endocrine-disrupting chemicals: low-dose effects and nonmonotonic dose responses
Vandenberg, L. N., Colborn, T., Hayes, T. B., Heindel, J. J., Jacobs, D. R., Lee, D.-H., Shioda, T., Soto, A. M., vom Saal, F. S., Welshons, W. V., et al. (2012) · Endocrine Reviews · doi:10.1210/er.2011-1050 · Cited by 3,209 · see citing works
Sex differences in the parental behavior of rodents
Lonstein, J. S., & De Vries, G. J. (2000) · Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews · doi:10.1016/s0149-7634(00)00036-1 · Cited by 226 · see citing works
Sensation seeking in opposite-sex twins: an effect of prenatal hormones?
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Xita, N., & Tsatsoulis, A. (2010) · Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1111/j.1749-6632.2010.05658.x · Cited by 96 · see citing works
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Dinsdale, N. L., & Crespi, B. J. (2021) · Evolutionary Applications · doi:10.1111/eva.13244 · Cited by 90 · see citing works
“Testosterone concentrations in blood and amniotic fluid are higher in 2M than 0M female mouse fetuses, supporting the use of intrauterine position and AGD as metrics of prenatal testosterone exposure (vom Saal & Bronson, 1980a).”
BackgroundHotchkiss, A. K., Ostby, J. S., Vandenburgh, J. G., & Gray, L. E. (2002) · Environmental Health Perspectives · doi:10.1289/ehp.02110s3435 · Cited by 82 · see citing works
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Dinsdale, N., Nepomnaschy, P., & Crespi, B. (2021) · Evolution, Medicine, and Public Health · doi:10.1093/emph/eoab008 · Cited by 53 · see citing works
Rat tail skin temperature regulation by estrogen, phytoestrogens and tamoxifen
Opas, E. E., Jane Rutledge, S., Vogel, R. L., Rodan, G. A., & Schmidt, A. (2004) · Maturitas · doi:10.1016/j.maturitas.2003.11.001 · Cited by 25 · see citing works
- Authors
- vom Saal, F. S., & Bronson, F. H.
- Affiliations
- Institute of Reproductive Biology, Department of Zoology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin 78712
- The University of Texas at Austin (US)
- Venue
- Science
- Published
- 1980-05-09
- Volume
- 208
- Issue
- 4444
- Pages
- 597-599
- ISSN
- 0036-8075 (ISSN-L)
- 1095-9203
- OpenAlex
- W2000841514
- Cited by
- 374
- References
- 1
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 1 · 2024: 8 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 8 · 2021: 7 · 2020: 7 · 2019: 7 · 2018: 6 · 2017: 6 · 2016: 3 · 2015: 10 · 2014: 7 · 2013: 9 · 2012: 8
- FWCI
- 5.50
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Science (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Sexual Differentiation and Disorders
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Genetic and Clinical Aspects of Sex Determination and Chromosomal Abnormalities
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis › Effects and risks of endocrine disrupting chemicals
- Keywords
- female sexual behavior, prenatal testosterone exposure, litter composition, sex differences
- MeSH terms
- Age Factors, Amniotic Fluid, Animals, Estradiol, Estrus, Female, Fetal Blood, Male, Pregnancy, Progesterone, Sexual Behavior, Animal, Sex Differentiation, Sex Ratio, Testosterone, Mice
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