Cleavage/Gastrulation (wk 2) Flashcards
What is cleavage?
Cell divisions immediately after fertilization
rapid mitotic divisions where the zygotic cytoplasm is divided into a number of smaller cells (blastomeres)
Describe the significance of the maternal genome
Immediately after fertilization, the maternal mRNAs are polyadenylated and translated= accumulate lots of maternal transcription factors
Important in implementing basic biosynthesis
Important in directing first mitotic divisions in the cleavage stage embryi
Important in specifying initial cell fate and patterning
Which part of the egg does cleavage start?
Animal pole (pigmented)
How is the egg activated?
After fertilisation
Brings the egg out of its suspended state so that cleavage can start
What is the exact moment cleavage starts
Following the completion of meiosis and the fusion of male and female pronuclei
What are the three major axes of the embryo?
anterior-posterior
Dorsal-ventral
Left-right
Describe cleavage and gastrulation of the frog in terms of a graph
Cleavage stage: first stage, really rapid cell growth
Gastrulation: less growth plateaus, slower rate of growth
What is the role of the protein cyclin?
When you inhibit protein synthesis in sea urchins, cell division does not occur
When you inhibit protein synthesis in sea urchins BEFORE prophase, no effect
Cyclin must be therefore made early on in the cell cycle and is critical for cell division
Distinguish between karyokinesis and cytokinesis
Karyo= dividing the DNA Cyto= cell division
Distinguish between mosaic (determinant) and regulative (inderteminant) cleavage
Mosaic: blastomeres are not totipotent, each blastomere has a different fate, not pre-determined
Regulative: each blastomere can regulate to produce a complete embryo, pre-determined
What type of cells are in the inner cell mass
embryonic stem cells
How does yolk affect cleavage?
Large quantities can slow down the process
T/F: the animal pole is generally yolk free and vegetal pole is yolk rich
True
What is an isolecithal egg?
Sparse equally spaced yolk e.g. humans
Distinguish between mesolecithal and telolecithal eggs
Meso= moderate yolk, usually not equally spaced Telo= dense yolk is distributed throughout most of the cell, only a small portion of the egg is free of yolk
Distinguish between holoblastic and meroblastic cleavage
Holo= complete cleavage, furrow extends all the way down Mero= incomplete cleavage, furrow can't extend all the way down due to the presence of yolk
What are the three types of holoblastic cleavage?
Based on orientation of the furrow
Radial
Rotational
Discoidal
Describe radial holoblastic cleavage
Type of holoblastic cleavage
Seen in sea urchins and frogs
Blastomeres have different fates- morphogenetic determinants are in different cytoplasmic regions of the egg
1/2 cleavage: animal to vegetal pole is meridional and perpendicular, equal
3/4 cleavage: equatorial, equal
5 cleavage: unequal, get macromeres and micromeres
Describe rotational cleavage
Type of holoblastic cleavage
First cleavage is equal
At the two cell stage, one blastomere divides in an miridial way and the other divides in an equatorial way (opposite pattern)
Describe discoidal cleavage
Type of holoblastic cleavage
The divisions are restricted to a disc-like region at the animal pole (blastodisc) = overlies the yolk cell
Embryo only develops on top of the yolk
At what stage in mammalian development is it termed a morula?
16 cell stage
What do the outside cells (e.g. trophoblast cells) become?
Trophoectoderm, placenta (chorion)
What occurs at the 64 cell stage?
There are two types of cells (inner and outer)
The first differentiation event in mammalian development
ICM and trophoblast cells are separate layers
Where does the egg hatch in mammalian development?
In the uterus
If it hatches earlier you get an ectopic pregnancy
What happens to the maternal and zygotic genome?
Occurs during the Maternal to Zygotic Transition (MZT)
Maternal transcripts are destabilised
Zygotic genome is activated
2 stages:
- Subset of the maternal transcript is eliminated
- Transcription of the zygotic genome begins
T/F
The initial cell cycles are not synchronous and have gap phases
False
Initial cell cycles are synchronous and lack gap phases
They are fast and uninterrupted
T/F
The initial phase is driven by the maternal genome and then the zygotic genome takes over
True
T/F
In mammals, the zygotic genome takes 3 weeks to take over
False
takes on quite early
between 1 and 2 cell stage
T/F
implantation triggers some of the destabilisation of the control of maternal genome in mammals
False
fertilisation triggers some of the destabilization of the control of the maternal genome
When does the MZT occur in frogs?
During the mid blastula stage