Unit 5: Embryology

Definition of Terms
 Gamete: egg or sperm
 Gametogenesis: process of formation and development of gametes
 Oogenesis: production of eggs
 Spermatogenesis: production of sperms
 Spermiogenesis: differentiation of sperm morphology
 Follicle: where eggs mature in the ovary
 Ovulation: release of egg from follicle
 Polar body: nonfunctional product of meiotic divisions in oogenesis
 Zygote: fertilized egg
Gametogenesis
 Gametogenesis: formation of gametes
in embryology, the process by which
gametes, or germ cells, are produced
in an organism
 Gametes develop in the gonads (sex
cells)
 In males, it is spermatogenesis,
formation of sperm
 In females, it is oogenesis, formation
of ova
 These sex cells are produced by a
specialized type of cell replication
known as meiosis
Gametogenesis
 The subsequent gametes contain half the genetic information as their parent
cells, and are also unique when compared with both the parent cells and
among each other
 Neurohormonal pathways is involved in the process, and some complications
can arise during the process
Gametogenesis
Luteinizing hormone acts on Leydig cells of the
testicles that subsequently secrete testosterone
Testosterone, along with FSH, will stimulate the
sertoli cells of the testes; leading to the
production of inhibin as well as the
upregulation/sensitization of testosterone
binding globulin receptors
Upregulation of the receptors allows further
stimulation of the cells by testosterone, resulting
in activation of spermatogenesis
Testosterone (acting on the hypothalamus and
anterior pituitary gland) and inhibin (acting on
the anterior pituitary gland) forms a negative
feedback loop that results in reduction of
gonadotropin releasing, luteinizing and follicle
stimulating hormones secretion
Spermatogenesis
 Spermatogenesis
process by which spermatogonia differentiate into mature
spermatozoa
process of development and maturation of spermatocytes
 Spermatozoa are formed in the wall of seminiferous tubules of the
testes
 Male gametogenesis only begins at the onset of puberty under the
influence of gonadotropin releasing hormone from the hypothalamus,
the pituitary gland releases both luteinizing and follicle stimulating
hormones
Spermatogenesis
 The activity of the sertoli cells result in the
activation and mitotic proliferation of previously
dormant spermatogonia within the seminiferous
tubules of the testes
 They are converted to primary spermatocytes,
which then enter the first meiotic division
 The resultant secondary spermatocytes then
enter the second meiotic division, which
terminates with the production of four haploid
spermatids
 Maturation of the spherical spermatids into
tadpole-like spermatocytes is referred to as
spermiogenesis
 This process involves elongation of the cell body
and reduction in the cytoplasmic volume
Spermatozoon
 An actively motile, free swimming cell
 The mature spermatocytes are comprised of:
 A head; ovoid consists of nucleus; that contains the
haploid nucleus and the acrosome that contains
proteolytic enzymes needed for fertilization. Note that
the acrosome is a derivative of the Golgi apparatus of
the spermatid.What is the function of acrosome?
 A neck : forms a bridge between the head and tail
 A tail(flagellum) (divided into middle, principal and end
pieces) that facilitates motility. It also houses the
mitochondria that produce adenosine triphosphate
(ATP) for cellular motility
Spermatogenesis
 Spermatocytes migrate from the lumen of the seminiferous tubules to the
epididymis via peristaltic movements and they are stored and continue to
mature
 Genetically, there are two types of spermatocytes; they all contain 22 copies
of autosomes. What is the function of autosomes? (i.e. non-sex chromosomes)
and either an X or a Y chromosome (the nomenclature used is 23, X or 23,Y)
 The final stage of maturation of spermatocytes occurs post-ejaculation
 Within the uterus or fallopian tubes, both the seminal protein and
glycoprotein coatings are stripped from the acrosome of the
sperm(capacitation) increases membrane permeability
 This process is facilitated by the cells of the female genital tract
 Post- capacitation, spermatocytes are not able to fertilize a secondary oocyte
Stages of Spermatogenesis
 Many cells of different sizes
and shapes:
(a) Various cell stages in
spermatogenesis
(b) Sertoli (sustentacular) cells
 Sertoli cells provide support
and nutrition to germ cells
 Regulated by luteinizing
hormone (LH)
 It binds to Leydig cells to
stimulate testosterone
production
Spermatogenesis
 The process of
transformation of a
circular spermatid to a
spermatozoon is called
spermiogenesis
 Golgi phase
 Cap phase
 Acrosomal phase
 Maturation phase
Oogenesis
 Oogenesis is the process of formation of female gametes
 Occurs in the ovaries and in the oviducts
 Starts before birth
 Ovary has cortex & medulla
 Oogonia are present in cortex
 Oogonia are produced at a very early stage (before birth) and do
not multiply thereafter
Oogenesis Cont.
 The egg’s development starts before the female born; 8 to 20 weeks
after the fetus has started to grow, cells that are to become mature
ova have been multiplying, and by the time that the female is born, all
of the egg cells that the ovaries will release during the active
reproductive years of the female are already present in the ovaries
 These cells, known as the primary ova, number around 400,000
 The primary ova remain dormant until just prior to ovulation, when
an egg is released from the ovary
 Some egg cells may not mature for 40 years; others degenerate and
never mature
Oogenesis
 During the antenatal period there is mitotic
proliferation of oogonia (primordial oocytes)
 There is subsequent increase in the size of these
cells, at which point they are recognized as primary
oocytes
 Female gametes commence gametogenesis by the
5th gestational week but the cells are arrested in
early prophase I
 The primary oocytes are encircled by a simple
squamous layer of follicular (granulosa) cells
 They secrete oocyte maturation inhibitor, which
prevents the primary oocyte from completing
meiosis
 Together, they are referred to as the primordial
follicle
Oogenesis
 After Telophase I and II, the
cytoplasm is not equally divided
 One of the new cells gets the
majority and it survives, while
the other one, a polar body, gets
broken down
Oogenesis
 No new primary oocytes will be produced after females are born
 Majority of these primordial follicles will degenerate, leaving approximately
400,000 primary oocytes by the onset of puberty
 Of these cells, only about 400 will mature during the reproductive lifetime (i.e.
from menarche to menopause)
 There is continued growth of the primary oocyte in the peripubertal period
 There is concurrent evolution of the flat follicular cells into firstly cuboidal,
then columnar cells
 The cells also produce an amorphous, fenestrated, glycoprotein substance
called zona pellucida that surrounds the primary oocyte
 Generally, only one primordial cell will mature each month during the
menstrual cycle (there are some exceptions as observed with maternal twins)
Oogenesis
 The onset of puberty in females indicates the
release of gonadotropin releasing hormone from
the hypothalamus
 It acts on the anterior pituitary gland, which
releases luteinizing and follicle stimulating
hormone in a similar manner
 The follicular stimulating hormone acts on the
granulosa cells, resulting in the production of
estrogen hormones
 Estrogen continues to act on the granulosa cells,
driving their proliferation and stratification around
the oocyte
 As the follicle begins to increase in size, the outer
connective tissue cells become more organized
and form the theca folliculi
Oogenesis
 These cells separate into an inner theca interna (vascular layer with
glandular function) and an outer theca externa (capsular layer)
 Luteinizing hormone acts on the theca interna, resulting in the production
of androgens
 The granulosa cells subsequently convert the androgens into more estrogen
hormones
Oogenesis
 The theca interna produces pockets of follicular fluid that subsequently
coalesce to form the antrum
 These events coincide with morphological changes in the follicle, such that
it appears more oval in shape and the oocyte are displaced towards a
random pole of the follicle (forming the cumulus oophorus)
 This overall structure is now referred to as a secondary follicle
 The primary oocyte would have also increased in size and completed
meiosis I
 There is unequal distribution of the cytoplasm and its constituents among
the two resulting cells
 As a result, the product of this division is a relatively large secondary
oocyte and a redundant first polar body
Oogenesis
 Following ovulation, the secondary oocyte
progresses through meiosis II up to the
point of metaphase II; at which point it is
arrested until fertilization of the oocyte
occurs
 Once fertilized, a second polar body will be
released and both are extruded from the
mature oocyte
 While spermatocytes have a fifty percent
chance of being either 23, X or 23, Y, all the
progeny of oogenesis have a 23, X genome
 However, they are still genetically unique
when compared to each other and to the
parent cell due to random genetic
assortment and genetic exchange from
chiasmata formation
Oogenesis