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Genital tubercle

Stages in the development of the external sexual organs in the male and female.
Gray's	subject #252 1213
Precursor	somatopleure^[1]
Gives rise to	genital swelling, mons pubis, clitoris, penis

A genital tubercle is a body of tissue present in the development of the urinary and reproductive organs. It forms in the ventral, caudal region of mammalian embryos of both sexes, and eventually develops into a phallus. In the human fetus the genital tubercle develops around week 4 of gestation, and by week 9 becomes recognizably either a clitoris or penis. This should not be confused with the sinus tubercle which is a proliferation of endoderm induced by paramesonephic ducts. Even after the phallus is developed, the term genital tubercle remains, but only as the terminal end of it^[2], which develops into either the glans penis or the glans clitoridis.

The genital tubercle is sensitive to dihydrotestosterone and rich in 5-alpha-reductase, so that the amount of fetal testosterone present after the second month is a major determinant of phallus size at birth.

[edit] See also

Sexual differentiation

[edit] References

^ Netter, Frank H.; Cochard, Larry R. (2002). Netter's Atlas of human embryology. Teterboro, N.J: Icon Learning Systems. p. 159. ISBN 0-914168-99-1.
^ The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill - Embryo images nr 024

[edit] External links

Swiss embryology (from UL, UB, and UF) ugenital/genitexterne01
Overview at mcgill.ca

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[isbn0-914168-99-1-0] Netter, Frank H.; Cochard, Larry R. (2002). Netter's Atlas of human embryology. Teterboro, N.J: Icon Learning Systems. p. 159. ISBN 0-914168-99-1.

[e024-1] The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill - Embryo images nr 024

[1]

[2]