Differentiation of adrenal cortex‐like tissue at the hilum of the gonads in response to adrenalectomy

Following bilateral adrenalectomy, the adrenal cortex‐like cells which appear in the ovaries of the 13‐lined ground squirrel are in close relationship to the epithelial remnants of the rete ovarii and the medullary cords. Identical cells form in the bilaterally adrenalectomized male around the efferent ductules of the testes. Histochemical tests on these periductular cells gave positive results with polarized light, Sudan Black stain, ultraviolet light, and the Schultz test — all comparable to normal adrenal cortex cells. Electron microscopic studies of the periductular cells showed them to have ultrastructural characteristics of a steroid secreting cell. Male and female animals adrenalectomized a year before and maintained on tap water died within four days when the gonads and adnexa were removed. Male animals adrenalectomized a year before and maintained on tap water survived actively for two weeks when the testicles were removed, provided that the efferent ductules and surrounding adrenal cortex‐like cells were left in place. These animals died within four days after the adnexa were removed. The periductular cells were incubated with radioactively tagged progesterone which showed that these cells secrete corticosterone, the normal primary corticosteroid of this animal, and desoxycorticosterone which functions as a combination glucocorticoid and mineralocorticoid.