Sexual Dimorphism of Mouse Submaxillary Glands and Its Relationship to Nerve Growth Stimulating Protein

SummaryA protein obtained from the mouse submaxillary gland, which enhances the growth of sympathetic and spinal ganglia and their processes, is 4-30 times more concentrated in the male than in the female sub-maxillary gland, an organ which shows a sexual dimorphism in histological appearance and in several physiological differences. The masculinization of the gland which occurs during pregnancy and lactation, as a result of increased androgen secretion during that time, has been shown to be correlated to a logarithmic increase in concentration of nerve growth protein, to the point where it may equal that of the male. It is suggested that this increase may serve the function of aiding the development of parts of the nervous system of the suckling mouse.