A Comprehensive Atlas of the Adult Mouse Penis

Overview

This paper, published in Sexual Development, provides a reference atlas for the adult mouse penis — filling a gap in the published literature on urogenital anatomy that had complicated interpretation of developmental perturbation studies.

Mouse models are widely used to study congenital urogenital anomalies such as hypospadias and cryptorchidism, as well as long-term reproductive outcomes. However, a comprehensive, systematically annotated anatomical reference for the adult mouse penis was lacking. Studies examining the consequences of genetic or endocrine disruption on penile morphology relied on heterogeneous, incompatible descriptions of normal anatomy.

Contribution

This atlas provides:

Histological characterisation of penile tissue layers using multiple staining modalities
Vascular mapping of the erectile tissue compartments
Innervation patterns of the dorsal nerve and associated structures
Systematic nomenclature for penile anatomical regions, standardising terminology for the field

The atlas has since served as a reference standard in studies of developmental disruption, endocrine-disrupting chemical exposure, and reproductive phenotyping in mouse models.

Context

This work was conducted during my doctoral research in the Pask Laboratory at the University of Melbourne, as part of a broader programme characterising the mouse urogenital system at developmental and adult stages.