Early Foetal Development Flashcards
what 2 ways can we measure time in embryo-foetal development?
fertilisation age
gestational age
what is fertilisation age (conceptual age) and what are the implications of this and how it can be measured accurately?
age measured from the time of fertilisation (assumed to be +1 day from last ovulation)
it is difficult to know the time of fertilisation exactly (unless IVF)
what is the gestational age?
the age calculated from the start of the last menstrual period
how long does the menstrual period last?
28 days
which day of the menstrual period does ovulation occur?
day 14
how many days longer is gestational age compared to fertilisation age?
14 days longer
what are the carnegie stages of embryo development? (how many and what are they based on)
23 stages of embryo development
based on embryo features (not time)
covers the window of 0-60 days fertilisation age in humans
what does the carnegie stages allow?
allows comparison of different developmental rates between species
what is the embryogenic stage (14-16 days post-fertilisation)?
Formation of early embryo from the fertilised oocyte
Formation of pluripotent embryonic cells (contributes to foetus)
Formation of exrtaembryonic cells (contributes to support structures e.g., placenta)
what is the embryonic stage (16-50 days post-fertilisation)?
Establishment of the germ layers and differentiation of tissue types
Establishment of body plan
what is the foetal stage (50-270 days post-fertilisation/ 8 to 38 weeks)?
Major organ systems present
Migration of some organ systems to final location
Extensive growth and acquisition of foetal viability (ability to survive outside the womb)
what is a trimester of pregnancy?
The 12-14 week blocks in which pregnancy are divided up into
There are 3 trimesters, 1st, 2nd and 3rd trimesters
which trimester of pregnancy do the embryogenic and embryonic stages correspond to?
1st
Which trimester of pregnancy does the foetal stage correspond to?
2nd and 3rd
Briefly describe the first few days of life starting from an oocyte to a blastocyte?
ovulated oocyte fertilised–> unicellular zygote–> 2,4,8 cell embryos (cleavage stage embryos)–> morula (16 cell embryo)–> blastocyst (200-300 cells)
- This development is happening as the oocyte and the early embryo is migrating along to fallopian tube and into the uterus where it can implant
what is the zona pellucida?
protein shell of egg cell
At which stages of this development is the zona pellucida present?
present for all of the stages forming the blastocyst (from ovulated oocyte to blastocyst)
Functions of the zona pellucida?
Protects early embryo
Inhibits polyspermy (prevents multiple sperm cells fertilising the oocyte)
Up until the maternal-zygotic transition, what is the development of the embryo and the divisions of the embryo dependent on + when does it occur?
Maternal mRNAs and proteins to get through the first divisions, since the genes of the embryo aren’t transcribed yet
Occurs before the 4-8 cell stage
When are maternal mRNAs and proteins synthesised and stored?
during the process of oocyte development, pre-ovulation
What can failure to synthesise and store maternal mRNAs and proteins during oogenesis lead to?
Impaired embryonic development
What happens at the maternal-to-zygotic transition?
transcription of embryonic genes (zygomatic genome activation)
increased protein synthesis
organelle (mitochondria, Golgi) maturation
When does the maternal-to-zygotic transition occur?
at the 4-8 cell stage
What is compaction?
the embryo developmental event in which the embryo forms 2 cell lineages, of spherical (inner) and wedge-shaped (outer) cells
When does compaction occur?
around the 8 cell stage or later
How do the spherical cells become wedge-shaped in compaction?
outer cells become pressed against the zona pellucida
How do the outer cells connect to each other (2) and what do they form? And what do the outer cells become (hint they don’t become different types of cells)?
Through tight gap junctions and desmosomes
Forms a barrier to diffusion between inner and outer embryo
Outer cells become polarised
What cell type do the inner cells give rise to?
Pluripotent embryonic stem cells
What cell type does the trophectoderm give rise to?
extra-embryonic cells
What is the trophectoderm?
the outer cells of the embryo/ the trophoblasts
what is the blastocoel?
a fluid filled cavity in the middle of the embryo
how is the blastocoel formed?
the trophoblasts/ the outer cells pump Na+ ions into the centre of the embryo, so water moves in by osmosis
What is hatching and why is it needed?
The blastocyst escapes the zona pellucida
It is needed in order for the embryo to progress further
How does hatching occur?
Enzymatic digestion (blastocyst secretes enzymes which break down the zona pellucida)
Cellular contractions
What happens if the blastocyst can’t escape the zona pellucida?
It can’t undergo implantation into the endometrium