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.[1] For example, spermatozoon and egg cells are gametes.
Regulation [edit]
The gonads are controlled hormonally by luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) secreted by the anterior pituitary gland.[2] This secretion in turn is controlled by the hypothalamus' gonadotropin-releasing hormone.[3]
Development [edit]
Gonads start developing as a common anlage (an organ in the earliest stage of development), in the form of gonadal ridges,[4] and only later are differentiated to male or female sex organs. The presence of the SRY gene,[5] located on the Y chromosome and encoding the testis determining factor, determines male sexual differentiation. In the absence of the SRY gene from the Y chromosome, the female sex life (ovaries instead of testis) will develop. The development of gonads is a part of the development of the urinary and reproductive organs.
See also [edit]
References [edit]
