Developmental Biology Flashcards
Intro - Embryology
What is the definition of developmental biology?
The study of the process by which animals grow and develop (the transient stages between egg and birth)
Why do we use model organisms (3 reasons)?
1) They are easy to breed
2) They are easy to maintain in the lab
3) They share some human similarities
Why are invertebrates used as models (4 reasons)?
1) Easy to manage in large numbers
2) Short life span
3) Easily mutated
4) Genome sequenced
Why are anamniotes (fish & frogs) used as models (5 reasons)?
1) Embryos develop externally to the mother
2) Large eggs
3) Transparent - good for observing anatomical development
4) Easy to mutate
5) Sequenced genome
Why are amniotes (mouse & chicken) used as models (4 reasons)?
1) Some develop externally to mother
2) Can do mammalian transgenics (insert foreign genes)
3) Closer genome to humans
4) Sequenced genomes
What are the 5 key stages of fertilisation before gastrulation?
- Fertilisation
- Cleavage Stage
- The Morula
- Blastocyte Stage
- Blastocyte hatches
- Implantation
In fertilisation, what are the primordial germ cells?
The sperm and egg cells.
How do primordial germ cells become regular germ cells?
Primordial germ cells (2n) undergo meiosis in order to form haploid (n) cells.
How and when is a zygote formed?
Zygote is formed during fertilisation when the sperm enters the oocyte.
At fertilisation, how is polyspermy prevented?
The zona pellicida ensures the oocyte becomes impenetrable after fertilisation,
What happens once the zona pellucida becomes impenetrable after fertilisation?
Cells begin dividing via mitosis
After fertilisation, cleavage occurs. What happens during cleavage?
During cleavage:
- Cells divide and become smaller
- These cells are now called blastomeres
- Each cell touches the zona pellucida
When does the zygote become a morula
Zygote becomes a morula once it has reached the 16 cell stage.
What happens once the zygote has become a morula?
The cells reorganise themselves. There is an inner core of cells and an outer superficial layer of cells.
What do the inner core and outer superficial layer of cells go on to form after the morula?
- The inner core of cells - forms the embryo proper
- The outer layer of cells - extra-embryonic membrane
How is a blastocyte formed from a morula?
Cells on the outside pump fluid into the embryo to form a blastocyst cavity.
The inner cell mass becomes embryonic stem cells.
The superficial layer of cells become trophoblasts.
What happens during blastocyte hatching?
The blastocyte hatches out of the zona pellucida and starts to grow.
What happens during implantation of the blastocyte?
The hatched blastocyte implants into the uterine wall for access to nutrition and to excrete waste.
What happens when the trophoblast cells come into contact with the uterus?
They start to divide and start to invade the endometrium.
When the trophoblast cells invade the endometrium, they form 2 layers - what are the layers called?
1) Cytotrophoblasts (inner, mononucleated cells)
2) Syncynctiotrophoblasts (outer, multinucleated syncynctium)
The inner cell mass forms 2 layers - what are they called?
- The epiblast: Columnar cells adjacent to the syncynctiotrophoblasts
- The hypoblast: Cuboidal cells facing the blastocyst cavity
What is gastrulation?
A process where a single layer gives gives rise to 3 distinct layers.
Vertebrates have 3 germ layers - what are their names?
1) Ectoderm (outer layer)
2) Medoderm (middle layer)
3) Endoderm (inner layer)
What part of the blastula embryo is responsible for forming all 3 germ layers
The epiblast is responsible for forming all 3 germ layers
Which layers come from where?
The mesoderm and the endoderm develop from the epiblast. The cells remaining in the epiblast form the ectoderm.
How does a blastula form a gastrula?
Cells in the middle of the epiblast converge to the middle of the disk to form the primitive streak. This begins at the posterior end (tail) an then extends to the anterior end (head)
Cells continually move from the edges to the midline and ingress through the primitive streak.
How does the endoderm form from the epiblast?
The endoderm is formed from the first cells that ingress through the primitive streak.
The cells drop down to contact the hypoblast and then form a sheet of cells - the endoderm.
How is the mesoderm formed from the epiblast?
- The mesoderm is formed from the next lot of cells that ingress through the primitive streak
- These cells form a mass of cells between the endoderm and the epiblast
What is the node and how is it formed?
The node is a knot of dividing stem cells formed as the cells condense at the anterior end of the primitive streak.
What happens to epiblast cells that ingress through the node?
Epiblast cells that ingress through the node migrate anteriorly to form the sturctures of the head.
What is the regressing node?
The regressing node is formed as the node at the end of the primitive streak starts to regress posteriorly.