2. Conception and Pregnancy Flashcards
Sexual differentiation + Pregnancy and partuition
conception vs fertilization
CONCEPTION = not a scientific terminology, the idea that life is coming
*conceptio = to learn,
FERTILIZATION = physiological process by which male and female pronuclei come together to form a new set of chromosome
how does the sperm enter the egg at fertilization?
5 steps ish
- sperm has ZP (zona protein) binding receptors (which are glycoproteins). Zone proteins on the zona pellucida recognize the ZP receptors at tip of sperm’s head
- sperm comes near egg –> produces enzymes = acrosomal reaction –> breaks down zona pellucida –> gains entry
- sperm cell membrane merges with cell membrane of oocyte
- entry of sperm into oocyte triggers cortical reaction = release of Ca2+ from granules –> solidifies zona pellucida to prevent other sperm from coming (polyspermy)
- once male pronuclei enters, then second meiosis of oocyte happens
- what are germ cells?
- are germ cells gonadal in origin?
- specialized cells that are differentiated to/destined to form either egg/oocyte or sperm
- no! germ cells don’t differentiate within the gonad! they come from outside the future gonad
what are the 2 groups of cells identifiable physically after fertilization? Will become what?
- inner cell mass –> becomes fetus
- trophoblast –> becomes placenta
what are the 3 layers of cells during embryogenesis?
- future gonad arises from which layer? vs germ cells? –> consequence?
ectoderm, mesoderm and endoderm
- future gonad comes from endoderm
- germ cells come from allantoic ectoderm
- consequence: germ cells have to travel/migrate to mesoderm –> migrate to endoderm (?) and then along the hindgut to the genital ridges (future gonad)
*once they reach genital ridge, they are committed to becoming either a sperm or an oocyte
does germ cell differentiation depend on their sex chromosome constitution? explain
no! it does not! it depends on whether the genital ridge has begun to develop into an ovary or a testis (ie the chromosomal sex of the somatic cells in the genital ridge)
- germ cells are polar/nonpolar during migration
- where do they migrate from/to?
- migration involves (2) from the leading edge and (2) from the lagging edge = _______ movement
- polar!
- migrate from ectoderm to endoderm to genital ridge
- involves cell protrusion and adhesion to the leading edge (and the extracellular matrix) + detachment and retraction from the lagging edge/back end
= amoeboid movement
- how do germ cells know where to go during migration?
by somatic cells! somatic cells secrete chemoattractants or chemorepellents to create a path for primary germ cells
- primary germ cells have receptors for chemo attractants (allow for protrusion and attachment) and chemo repellents (allow for detachment and retraction)
*additional regulation of chemo attractants/repellants = sequestration or destruction of them
which 2 pairs of ligand/receptors direct the primary germ cell movement?
- what type of receptor?
*what happens if one of these 4 is absent?
- KITL (KIT ligand) with KIT receptor (an RTK)
- CXCL12 (ligand) and the CXCR4 receptor (GPCR)
*if absent –> movement of primary germ cells is disrupted
what happens after the germ cells arrive at the genital ridge?
- 3 step process ish
sexual differentiation!
- chromosomal sex (XX or XY) –> gonadal sex (testes or ovary) –> phenotypic sex (external genitalia and reproductive tract)
X vs Y chromosome
- length?
- represents __% of genome?
- encodes how many proteins?
- genes regulate reproductive functions?
X chromosome:
- 160 megabses (Mb) long
- represents 5% of haploid/whole genome
- encode 850 proteins
- several of these genes regulate gametogenesis and hypothalamus-pituitary function BUT most regulate non-reproductive functions
Y chromosome:
- 60 Mb long
- represents 2% of genome
- encodes 57 proteins
- most of these genes regulate reproductive functions
how many chromosomes in normal male vs female?
- name of syndrome + how many chromosomes:
- XXY?
- XO?
- YO?
- XY or XX –> 46
- Klinefelter syndrome: XXY –> 47 chromosomes
- Turner’s syndrome: XO (absence of Y) –> 45 chromosomes
- YO = non-viable
- central dogma of sexual differentiation?
- pioneer experiment?
- conclusion?
- central dogma = female is the default and being a male is an active process
- remove undifferentiated testes from male rabbit embryos –> found that embryos developed female reproductive tract and female genitalia VS remove undifferentiated gonads from female embryos –> developed into female features
- TESTES are essential for male sexual differentiation, but ovaries are NOT necessary for female differentiation
Genital ridge
- becomes what for male vs female? ie which duct stays/degenerates? –> the duct develops into what?
- what is the name for common primordium for external genitalia? –> become which 2 for male vs female?
Genital ridge –> female
- Mullerian duct stays, wolffian duct degenerates
- female tract = oviduct, uterus, upper vagina
Genital ridge –> male
- Mullerian duct degenerates, wolffian duct stays
- male tract = epididymis, vas deferens, seminal vesicle
UROGENITAL SINUS!
- female: clitoris and vulva
- male: penis and scrotum
Men:
- mesoderm develops into _________ _______ –> has which 2 types of cells? cell type?
- function of these 2 cells?
- mesoderm –> genital ridge –> sertoli cells and leydig cells –> both are somatic cells (not germ cells)
SERTOLI –> mullerian duct regression
LEYDIG –> wolffian duct stabilization –> leads to male external genital differentiation
- which cells produce testosterone in the testes?
- how does testosterone concentration change in early male development?
- function of testosterone (2)
- somatic cells (Sertoli and Leydig cells) in testes
- goes up in male fetus –> comes down (testes descent) at about 20 weeks of embryonic development
- testicular differentiation + germ cell differentiation
why is ultrasound sex determination done at 20 weeks of gestation?
because that’s when testes descent is complete
what are the pre-requisites for normal sex differentiation? (3)
- normal intact chromosome complement (XX or XY)
- chromosomes need to have fully functional sex determining genes
- cells in differentiating gonads have to synthesize steroid hormones (especially testosterone) –> intact steroidogenic pathway and receptors
how can sexual reproduction produce new combinations of genes?
- when does it happen?
crossing over/ recombination process! between 2 sister chromatids (1 from dad, 1 from mom)
- in meiosis
- what is the problem in recombination/crossing over between sex chromosomes?
- which parts are involved in recombination?
- chromosome X and Y are not the same size! X is a lot bigger!
- only the pseudoautosomal regions undergo recombination! (PAR regions)
*pseudo bc only region involved in recombination
*autosomal bc they act as autosomal (but they’re actually sex chromosomes) - PAR regions are at top and bottom of both X and Y chromosome
which part of the Y chromosome contains the SRY gene?
- function of SRY?
- the male specific region of Y (MSY) (middle portion of the Y chromosome) –> specifically really close the the top PAR region of Y chromosome!
- SRY –> gene that codes for a protein –> allows bipotential genital ridge to become a testis
what happens if SRY gene is transferred to X chromosome through recombination beyond PAR1?
*mouse experiment?
fertilization of a sperm with (X and SRY) –> produces an XX male phenotype
*injected SRY genes in a fertilized egg –> put it in mouse (= transgenic mouse) –> developed into XX mouse with testes and external male genitalia
*knew he was XX (and not XY) from karyotyping!
how can there be a XY female?
- SRY gene was deleted OR mutant SRY gene on the Y chromosome –> resulting on non functional SRY protein
what is a characteristic sequence of the SRY gene?
- how can SRY proteins regulate transcription of other genes? –> SRY = what?
- an 80 aa region of SRY gene shows homology within the high mobility group (HMG proteins) –> this conserved motif (HMG box) possesses DNA binding activity –> this sequence is found in many nuclear proteins that interact with DNA (either as transcription factor or transcription regulators)
- SRY protein binds to DNA to induce transcription of other genes –> SRY = transcription factor!
how many mutations in SRY gene can cause XY females in which region of the SRY gene?
11 mutations! in the HMG box
- how long is SRY gene expressed?
- consequence?
- around 2 days! from 10.5 days post coitum (dpc) to 12.5 dpc
- consequence = ther must be another thing that drives sex determination! –> sox9! (a TF)