Everything about The Gonad totally explained
The
gonad is the organ that makes
gametes. The gonads in males are the
testes and the gonads in females are the
ovaries. The product, gametes, are
haploid germ cells. For example,
spermatozoon and
egg cells are gametes. Although medically the gonad term can refer to either male gonads (
testicles) or female gonads (
ovaries), the
vernacular, or
slang use of "gonads" (or "nads") usually only refers to the testicles.
Function
In addition to producing gametes, the gonads are a combined
glands providing both
exocrine and
endocrine functions. The male and female
gonads produce
steroid sex hormones, identical to those producted by adrenal cortical cells. The major distinction is the source and relative amounts produced.
Testes
The male gonads, known as the testes or testicles, secrete a class of hormones called
androgens, and produce
spermatozoa. The predominant androgen in males is
testosterone.
Regulation
The gonads are controlled hormonally by
luteinizing hormone (LH) and
follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) secreted by the
anterior pituitary gland. The anterior pituitary gland's excretion of LH and FSH are, in turn, controlled by the
hypothalamus'
gonadotropin-releasing hormone.
Development
Gonads start developing as a common
anlage, in the form of
gonadal ridges, and only later are differentiated to male or female
sex organs. The
SRY gene, located on the
Y chromosome and encoding the
testis determining factor, decides the direction of this differentiation.
In 1943,
Matthew Browne started a development of gonads in a part of the
development of the urinary and reproductive organs.
Further Information
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