Sex difference in Onuf's nucleus homologue in the Asian musk shrew

Abstract

Perineal muscles essential for copulatory functioning are innervated by Onuf's nucleus in humans and the spinal nucleus of the bulbocavernosus (SNB) and dorsolateral nucleus (DLN) in rats. These structures sexually differentiate as a result of developmental androgen exposure in most species examined. The homologous structure in the Asian musk shrew ( Suncus murinus) is a single cluster in the lateral DLN/Onuf's position in the ventral horn of the spinal cord; these motoneurons innervate both the bulbocavernosus and ischiocavernosus muscles of the musk shrew. We found the expected sex difference in motoneuron number in the shrew DLN, but not in two neighboring motoneuron clusters, the retrodorsolateral nucleus (RDLN) and ventrolateral nucleus (VLN). Male musk shrews also have significantly larger soma areas in the VLN and DLN than females, and male DLN motoneurons have significantly larger nuclei than female. The sex difference in DLN motoneuron number was evident both in raw counts and after accounting for split nuclei error.