A Structurally and Functionally Common Unit in Testes and Ovaries of Medaka (Oryzias latipes), a Teleost Fish

Testes and ovaries are structurally and functionally different organs, but they originate from the same gonadal primordium. Here, we propose how a tissue composed of germ cells and sox9b-expressing cells underlain by a basement membrane develops a functionally common unit that reserves sexually indifferent or unfixed germline stem cells in both the ovaries and testes of adult medaka. During testicular development, the unit expands and gives rise to lobules where germline stem cells continuously produce a tremendous amount of sperm, while the unit in the female becomes germinal cradles that represent niche areas for neo-oogenesis. A recent finding in female foxl3 mutants demonstrates that the unit can also serve as the niche for germline stem cells continuously producing sperm in the ovary. We hypothesize that this unit in medaka might correspond to the medullary cords of the gonadal primordium in amniotes and that fragmentation of the medullary cords during ovarian development may be related to the absence of germline stem cells.