Embryology: 0-4 weeks Flashcards
At what meiotic stage does ovulation occur? What is the cell’s DNA/chromosome content like at this point?
*Meiosis II metaphase. Haploid in chromosome (1n) and diploid in DNA (2d)
^Starting superficially, what are the three layers of the ovum?
*Corona radiate cells, zona pellucida and the oocyte membrane.
^What cells in the fallopian tube secrete nutrients for the ovum?
*Peg cells
^Where do sperm take swimming lessons?
*Epididymus
^How long is the ovum viable in the female genital tract?
*24 Hours
^What are sperm’s DNA/chromosome content at the time of ejaculation?
*Since they have completed meiosis II, they are haploid in DNA content and in chromosomes.
^What is the main mode of transportation in getting sperm past the cervix and into the fallopian tubes?
*Vaginal contraction and peristalsis
^What happens to the very first sperm to get to the fallopian tube?
*It hides in cilia of fallopian cells, waiting to ambush to ejected egg when it passes.
^What must happen to the sperm before it can fertilize the egg?
*Capacitation (glycocalyx coat degrades around acrosomal head) and acrosome reaction (release of acrosin and trypsin-like enzymes to degrade the zona pellucida)
^How long is sperm viable in the female genital tract?
*24-48 hours.
^How do sperm get through the first barrier to the ovum?
*Hyaluronidase release to digest hyaluronan in corona radiata cells. They tail also starts whipping like a corkscrew.
^What makes up the zona pellucida and what helps the sperm to penetrate it?
*Glycoproteins ZP1,ZP2 and ZP3. ZP3 is a sperm receptor.
^How does the fertilized egg prevent other sperm from entry?
*Release of cortical granules changes the properties of the zona pellucida
^What is released into the ovum cytoplasm when sperm and egg membranes fuse? What survives in the cytoplasm?
*The head (nucleus) and tail (mitochondria) of the sperm enter the cytoplasm. Only the nucleus survives, this is why you inherit mitochondria from your mom.
^What happens to the ovum upon fertilization?
*The ovum finished meiosis II, then both sperm and ovum pronuclei replicate DNA, pronuclei membranes degenerate and mother/father chromosomes line up for first mitotic division.
^What happens during the cleavage stage of conceptus development?
*The fertilized egg undergoes 3 mitotic divisions to form blastomeres that undergo compaction. Compacted blastomeres divide to form a 16-cell morula. At day 3-4 a cavity develops and the blastocyst is formed.
^What will the different compartments of the blastocyst become?
*Inner cell mass will become the embryo proper. The outer cell mass ill become the trophoblast.
^How does the newly fertilized egg compact blastomeres?
*Fluid entry through the zona pellucida.
^What does the blastocyst hatch out of and why?
*The zona pellucida. The zona pellucida is made of stiff glycoproteins that do not allow for expansion and growth.
^What part of the developing embryo allows us to do blood pregnancy tests early on?
*Syncytiotrophoblast. It secretes hCG which prevents the corpus luteum from degenerating.