11/20 Development Of Genitalia Flashcards
In what weeks do genitoreproductive structures differentiate?
Weeks 7-20
In what week are Genitoreproductive structures identifiable as male or female?
Week 12
What is the urogenital ridge (and what primordial tissue) and what does it contain?
Elevated intermediate mesoderm on either side of the dorsal aorta, along the posterior abdominal wall
Nephrogenic cord
Gonadal ridge
What is the mesothelium of genitoreproductive tissues? What does it give rise to?
Somatic mesoderm lining the gonadal ridge
Gives rise to gonadal cords, which will become the cortex and medulla of gonads
Where is endoderm found in genitoreproductive tissue? What does it form?
Primordial germ cells found in endoderm of umbilical vesicle and allantois
Form reproductive glands and epithelium of vagina
What is the development of the primordial germ cells (precursors to gametes) like in week 2, weeks 3-4, week 5, and week 6?
Week 2: arise from epiblast
Weeks 3-4: migrate through primitive streak to reside in
umbilical vesicle and allantois
Week 5: migrate back into body
Week 6: migrate into primary sex cords via dorsal mesentery
Why do primordial germ cells migrate through primitive streak?
to avoid all the signals within embryonic body
What do primordial germ cells proliferate into?
type A spermatogonia or into oogonia
When does proliferation into type A spermatogonia start in males?
Puberty
When does proliferation into oogonia start in females?
In utero
Genotypic sex (46XY or 46XX) is determined when?
At fertilization
How is phenotypic sex determined?
by embryonic/fetal development due to a complex genetic network
Embryonic genitoreproductive structures are identical until week _____, when they start differentiating
Will not be visibly recognizable until week ______
Week 7
Week 12
What are the genitoreproductive structures?
Gonads, genital tracts, external genitalia
What do gonads become?
Testes or ovaries
What do genital tracts become?
Vas deferens and epididymis
Uterine tube
What do the external genitalia become?
Scrotum and penis
Labia and clitoris
Sex differentiation in week 7-20 is sequential in this order from the start
Gonads
Genital ducts
External genitalia
What is the central event of sex differentiation?
Differentiation of testes
What is the differentiation of testes determined by?
SRY gene (on chromosome Yp11.3), which encodes for testes-determining factor (TDF)
What are the secondary events of sex determination?
Hormone production by gonads
What happens during sex differentiation hormone production by gonads?
Supporting cells for the gametes develop and secrete hormones to direct the indifferent embryo to a male or female phenotype
If SRY is present, what will happen?
TDF will be present
If SRY is not present, what will happen?
No TDF will be present
If TDF is present, what supporting cells for sex-specific gametes develop?
Interstitial cells, sustentacular cells
If interstitial cells and sustentacular cells are created, what hormones are secreted?
Interstitial cells: (high) Testosterone
Sustentacular cells: Anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH)
What does (high) testosterone from interstitial cells and Anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) do to the duct systems? What does this mean?
(High) Testosterone: Mesonephric ducts persist
Anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH): paramesonephric ducts degenerate
Male phenotype
If TDF is not present, what supporting cells for sex-specific gametes develop?
Thecal cells, follicle cells
If thecal cells and follicle cells are created, what hormones are secreted?
Thecal: no (low) testosterone
Follicle: No anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH)
What does no (low) testosterone from thecal cells and no Anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) do to the duct systems? What does this mean?
No (low) testosterone: mesonephric ducts degenerate
No anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH): paramesonephric ducts persist
Female phenotype
What are the steps to development of the indifferent gonads?
Week 5, Gonadal ridge develops medial to mesonephros
Week 6, primordial germ cells migrate into gonadal ridges
Indifferent gonads have both cortex and medulla, and these either develop or degenerate depending on sex
-primary sex cords and secondary sex cords
In development of gonads, what is the gonadal ridge made of? What does this develop?
Made of coelomic epithelium and urogenital ridge
Develops primary and secondary sex cords
Where do the primary sex cords extend?
extend into medulla of indifferent gonads
What are the secondary sex cords?
Cortex of indifferent gonads
In the development of the testes, what do the primary sex cords form?
thick tunica albuginea
seminiferous cords (contains primordial germ cells and
sustentacular cells), tubuli recti, rete testes
In the development of the testes, what do the secondary sex cords form?
Nothing
When do the testes descend?
Later in development, they descend to their final positions within the scrotum
What do the seminiferous cords become? When does this happen?
Tubules
At puberty
In the development of the ovaries, what do the primary sex cords form?
Extend into the medulla and form rete ovarii, which eventually degenerates
What happens to the rete ovarii
Eventually degenerates
In the development of the ovaries, what do the secondary sex cords form?
Forms a thin tunica albuginea
Form primordial follicles, which contain primary oocytes
What do primordial follicles contain?
Primary oocytes