by the locus-specific primer is directly subjected to TaqI digestion and is analyzed on an agarose gel without radioisotopic hybridization. It also appears to be more accurate because all three distinct chimeric CYP21P/ CYP21 genes had 3.2-kb fragments (Fig. 1C, lanes 3 and 4). Simply assuming that the 3.2-kb fragment from conventional Southern analysis (6 ) is a deletion of the CYP21 gene has been shown to be incorrect. The authors of one report have stated that the 3.2-kb fragment analyzed by Southern blotting identified a fused CYP21 gene, but in this study, Southern blotting was performed with radioisotope hybridization and a different endonuclease (8 ).In conclusion, the coexistence of 9.3-and 3.2-kb fragments is consistent with a chimeric CYP21P/CYP21 gene. The method of analysis we have described is a novel tool for identification of such a molecule. These chimeric genes were found to occur frequently in CAH caused by steroid 21-hydroxylase deficiency in a Taiwanese (ethnic Chinese) population. The development of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is dependent on androgens, primarily dihydrotestosterone (DHT) (1 ). To estimate the activity of 5␣-reductase, which catalyzes the conversion of testosterone to DHT, testosterone and DHT have been quantified in biological samples (2-4 ). Because of their lipophilic properties, they are usually found in the conjugated form, i.e., linked to a hydrophilic sulfuric moiety or ␤-glucuronic acid, which are excreted mainly (Ͼ95%) in human urine. Despite reports of a close association between BPH and testosterone and DHT (1-4 ), to our knowledge, there is no published simultaneous quantitative data for these metabolites as their glucuronides in the urine of patients with BPH.The major problem associated with quantification of total steroids is incomplete hydrolysis, attributable mainly to the matrix effects of urine on the efficiency of enzymatic hydrolysis, which reduces the reproducibility of the assay (5,6 ). Given that it is often necessary to analyze many samples in a short time with good sensitivity and reproducibility, system throughput is a critical issue for many clinical mass spectrometry (MS) groups. In 322 Technical Briefs

This paper describes the role of the androgenic gland (AG) in the reproductive phase change from male to female in the protandrous hermaphroditic shrimp, Pandalopsis japonica. The differentiation of external sexual characters is presented in relation to the development of the hermaphroditic gonad and the AG. Juveniles ( 11 mm carapace length (CL)) externally exhibit male morphological characters, but do not show differentiated testicular tissue internally. Sexually functional males (14-23 mm CL) have both spermatogenesis and spermiogenesis in their testicular tissue, while the ovarian portion of the gonad increases in size and there is proliferation of the oogonia and of young ova. In males approaching sex reversal, the AG starts degenerating, and in the female stage the gland has completely disappeared. The male primary and secondary sexual characters degrade almost at the same time. This suggests that the role of the AG and/or of the endocrine system in protandrous hermaphroditic shrimp is different from that in non-hermaphroditic shrimp. We suggest that the AG only induces differentiation of male primary and secondary sexual characters. RÉSUMÉCet article décrit le rôle de la glande androgène (AG) au cours du changement de la phase reproductive de mâle à femelle chez la crevette hermaphrodite protandrique, Pandalopsis japonica. La différenciation des caractères sexuels externes est présentée par rapport au développement de la gonade hermaphrodite et de l'AG. Les juvéniles ( 11 mm de longueur de carapace (CL)) présentent extérieurement des caractères morphologiques mâles, mais n'ont pas différencié un tissu testiculaire interne. Les mâles sexuellement fonctionnels (14-23 mm CL) ont à la fois des caractères de spermatogenèse et de spermiogenèse dans leur tissu testiculaire, tandis que la partie ovarienne 5 )