Developmental Biology Exam 2 Flashcards
Primary sex determination
gonads: testees or ovaries
genetics
Secondary sex determiantion
Phenotype- male vs female internal and external organs
Hormones and paracrine factors from the gonads
Bipotential gonads
genital ridge: gonad rudiment will become gentile duct
bipotent: can become ovaries and testees
Have indifferent development takes place followed by differentiation into either testees or ovaries (based on XX and XY genotype
Have both Mullerian and Wolffian ducts
Hormones made by genotype will fully generate one duct and disintegrate the other
How genitals are affected with XY genotype
Gonads become the testees
Wolffian duct differentiates into sperm transport duct
Mullerian duct is degenerated
How genitals are affected with XX genotype
Gonads become ovaries
Mullerian duct becomes oviduct which become the fallopian tubes
Wolffian duct is degenerated
Primary Sex determination for XY
Gene SRY promotes testis formation
SRY is a transcription factor which binds enhancer region of Sox9 gene. Sox9 is then expressed by activating itself via SRY
Sox9 also activates anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) and promotes degradation of beta-catenin.
Primary Sex determination for XX
no SRY gene present
wnt4 paracrine factor leads to wnt/beta-catenin signaling and target gene expression
wnt4 leads to beta-catenin stabilization
Results in expression of ovary differentiation genes
Beta-catenin promotes maintenance of ovarian structures and blocks expression of Sox9
Secondary sex determination female
Bipotential gonad leads to wnt4 factor leads to ovary leads to granula cells and thecal cells leads to follicles leads to estrogen leads to differentiation of Mullerian duct leads to female sex phenotype
In the absence of testosterone the Wolffian duct regresses
Secondary Sex determination male
Bipotential gonad leads to SRY, Sox9 leads to testees leads to:
1. Sertoli cells which make AMH which leads to regression of Mullerian duct
AND
2. Leydig cells which make testosterone which causes differentiation of Wolffian duct which causes male sex phenotype
Germ Plasma theory (1892)
Weismann proposed
Some germ cells contain heritable information and somatic cells carry out ordinary body functions
germ plasm, which is independent from all other cells of the body (somatoplasm), is the essential element of germ cells (eggs and sperm) and is the hereditary material that is passed from generation to generation.
Background of Test of Germ Plasma Theory (1910)
Done by Theodore Boveri
Used parascaris aequorum which is a round worm parasite with chunky chromosomes you can see under a microscope
Have two chromosomes per haploid cell
Cleavage of first embryonic development separates animal half from vegetal half of the zygote.
Animal chromosomes during first two blastomeres: chromosome diminution
vegetal blastomere: chromosomes remain normal
During second cleavage animal cells split meridionally and the vegetal cell divides equatorially. Both vegetal cells created have normal chromosomes
Therefore at the fourth cleavage only one cell (vegetal) will have a full set of genes
At the 16th cell stage there will only be two cells with undiminished chromosomes. One of them becomes a germ cell and the other does chromosomes diminution to form stomatic cell
Chromosome diminution
When chromosome blastomere ends fragment before cell division
Only portion of original chromosome survives
Genes are lost and are therefore not present in new nuclei
Meridional division
a type of cell division that occurs during the early stages of embryonic development when a furrow cuts through the center of an egg, bisecting both poles
Equatorial division
is a term used to describe the process of cell division where chromosomes are divided equally into two daughter cells during metaphase of mitosis or meiosis:
Test of Germ Plasma Theory (1910)
Boveri set out to study the part of the cell plasma that caused the chromosomes to not diminish and see if this so called section of the cytoplasm existed
He centrifuged the eggs before their first cleavage to shift orientation of mitotic spindle. Therefore each cell formed should have portion of the vegetal portion
After first division no nucleus underwent chromosomal diminution. Only the animal ones for the second division underwent chromosomal diminution.
He concluded the vegetal cytoplasm contains a factor that protects nuclei from chromosomal diminution and determines germ cells
Primordial germ cells (PGCs)
Germ cells (aka. germ line) = cells that make gametes. Totipotent
Germ cells derived from PGCs. Can become either sperm or eggs. Therefore PGCs are bipotent
Where do PGCs come from?
In mammals they come from the ICM
ICM made primitive endoderm. epiblast are all cells of the embryo which also make PGCs
On P side becomes PGCs and are more likely to be mesoderm but signals tell them they are going to be germ cells
Therefore induction occurs
Migrate to gentile ridge and during this migration the PGCs also proliferate
Mammalian spermatogenesis
- Proliferation
- Meiosis
- Differentiation
Spermatogenesis: Proliferative Phase
- primordial germ cells (PGCs) migrate to the gentile ridge. While migrating they become gonocytes. Once at destination they become seminiferous tubules
- Contact with the seminiferous tubules leads to gonocyte differentiation into spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs). SSCs are type A spermatogonia.
The type A spermatogonia (stem cells) will either not divide, will divide to make asymmetric cell or through mitosis will make type B spermatogonia which will differentiate and mitosis to have two primary spermatocytes
sertoli cells
men mesodermal cells differentiate into these
Their role is to secrete AMH
Will also form seminiferous tubules
during week eight they surround germ cells to make testis chords
Testis chords
Form loops in central region of developing testis and are connected by thin canals called rete testis near developing kidney duct
What happens when male germ cells enter the gonads?
They develop within the testis chord, proliferate and then arrest in mitosis
When puberty hits, the testis cords develop into seminiferous tubules. The germ cells migrate to the periphery of the tubules to make SSC’s
Two directions men mesodermal cells can go?
Sertoli cells (epithelial) or Leydig cells (Mesenchymal)
Leydig cells
Secrete testosterone