Embryology Flashcards

1
Q

How many weeks is from conception to birth

A

38 weeks

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2
Q

What are the 3 periods of birth

A
  • Pre - Embryonic period - 1st week
  • Embryonic period - weeks 2 to 8
  • Fetal period - weeks 9 to 39 ( 3 trimesters )
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3
Q

What happens during the Pre Embryonic period

A

Fertilization in ovary to Implantation in uterus = GLASTISIS

Not really an embryo - just a cluster of cells

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4
Q

What happens during the Embryonic period

A
  • Multicellular Blastocyst to recognizable Vertebrate
  • Organogenesis
  • Developing embryo and creating something that looks like a liferform
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5
Q

What happens during the Fetal period

A
  • Major growth of existing structures – everything increases in size + a few new ones/structures/organs produced
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6
Q

When do you become fertile

A

Not fertile until 2 weeks after last menstrual period – when you get pregnant
So its 38 weeks rather than 40 weeks
SO embryology occurs when pregnant women give birth- take date from last menstrual period

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7
Q

What is unique about whats produced at the end of the embryonic period

A

No matter what its coming from – human or mouse, we all roughly look the same at end of embryonic period - we’re just different sizes

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8
Q

What is the period where most organs are produced

A

Embryonic period

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9
Q

When was most of what we are created

A

During 1st 8 weeks

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10
Q

What happens during fetal period

A

Pretty much look like a human = end of embryonic period - have facial features

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11
Q

What are the cellular events that occur in embryonic development

A
  1. Cell Addition by Mitosis or ‘Cleavage’
    (2) Cell Movement & Migration
    (3) Programmed Cell Death or ‘Apoptosis’
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12
Q

What cell size is cell addition by mitosis or cleavage

A

From a single cell to >5 x 1012 cells

Doenst expand in size - only replicates

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13
Q

What happens during cell movement and migration

A

Forms layered, folded &/or tubular structures

Need those cells to move around and migrate to form different organs and structures in body – otherwise one lump of cell

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14
Q

What happens during programmed cell death or Apoptosis

A

Regression & elimination of tissues that are no longer required
Many times when cells and structures developed in developing embryo needed at that point of time but not needed when premature adult or human – develop and serve their function but those cells have to die off through apoptosis

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15
Q

Example of apoptosis in a tissue during embryonic development

A
  • When eye developing – lens of eye coming and forming but at that time you have no aqueous humour production so there is no O2 and nutrients supply = blood vessel branching out of optic nevre – goes through cavity in middle of eye – vitreous and forms a basket of blood vessels – tunica vascularis lentis = provides o2 and nutrient supply for developing lens but when ciliary body matures , you get production of aqueous humour – that bathes lens with nutrietns and o2 so tunica vascularis lentis isn’t needed anymore so it dies – apoptosis
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16
Q

What is apoptosis

A

Programmed cell death - when the cell dies off

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17
Q

What happens during day 0

A

The zygote forms
Maternal and Paternal nuclei has fused
Sperm breaks down as it burrows its way inside - releasing its nucleus inside

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18
Q

What is the transparent capsule of the membrane called

A

Zona pellicuda - capsule/membrane that wasn’t around blasteocyst

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19
Q

How does a zygote form

A

Sperm or egg successfully found each other - sperm successfully eat its way through the membrane and the egg is implanted itself into the ovary

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20
Q

How many pairs of chromosomes in diploid

A

23

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21
Q

What happens during Day 1

A

Zygote divides/ cell splits to form 2 blastomeres
When it splits it doesnt double in size due to the 2 fused nuclei
Surrounded by membrane, separating inside capsule

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22
Q

What happens during week 1 - pre embryonic period

A
  • Cleavage: daily series of binary cell divisions: blastomeres increase to 4, 8, 16 cells etc
  • Moves down oviduct to uterine cavity, ‘wafted’ by cilia on oviduct epithelium - migration of cells and forming separate structures
  • Instead of 1 cell dividing, both cells go through mitosis
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23
Q

What is produced at 3 days

A

Mast ball of cells - MORULA

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24
Q

What is cleavage

A
  • Daily series of binary cell divisions
  • 4 cells divide to create 8
  • Every time you divide its exponential growth - v quick
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25
Q

How many days does it take for egg to get to Fallopian tube

A

7 days

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26
Q

Why are the eggs not stationary during week 1

A

As it goes through these divisions as ovaries are released into Fallopian tube

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27
Q

What is the Fallopian tube lined with and why

A

Ciliated columnar epithelial cells

Cilia is wafting - wants to move the egg down the Fallopian tube into the uterine cavity

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28
Q

How long does it take for egg to get to uterine cavity during 1st week of embryonic period

A

7 days

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29
Q

What is inside blastocyst

A

Internal cavity - filled with blasticium – fluid those cells are secreting

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30
Q

What happens during days 5 to 6

A

Blastocyst rearrange structure and segregate into 2 separate regions

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31
Q

What are the 2 sub regions of cells of the blastocyst

A

(1) Inner mass = Embryoblast
forms the Embryo (‘blast’: Gr,‘maker’)
(2) Outer layer = Trophoblast
forms the Placenta (‘tropho’: Gr,’feeder’) . Separated by fluid (blastocele)

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32
Q

What is embryoblast

A

Embryo maker – little spot of cells makes embryo

Inner cell mass

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33
Q

What is trophoblast

A

Feeder maker

All the cells around the outside

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34
Q

What happens during days 7 t o 10

A
  • Zona pellucida ( translucent capsule ) ruptures = allows blasteocyst/trophoblast cells to invade uterine walls of uterus
  • Trophoblast cells begin invading the epithelium & stroma of the maternal uterine wall
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35
Q

What is the placenta of trophoblast

A
  • Outer layer
  • Interphase between maternal bloody supply and embryo bloody supply – takes what it wants – o2 and nutrients from mothers blood supply and
    And gives it to embryo – feeder
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36
Q

What happens during days 5 to 7

A

Blastocyst implanted into the uterine wall
Entering embryonic period - going into uterine wall
- Zona Pellucida ruptures - allows trophoblast cells to attach and migrate inbetween columnar epithelium of uterine wall

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37
Q

Where does embryo develop

A

Inside the mothers tissue - embeded into uterine stroma into connective tissue
NOT in uterus cavity

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38
Q

What happens during week 2

A
  • Division of the Embryoblasts and Trophoblasts into 2 further cell types
  • Cells proliferate
  • Trophoblast cells buried deeper and deeper into uterine walls until whole blastocyst is inside the epithelium
  • Membranes being broken down between cells – migrate as a big mass intothe stroma
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39
Q

What do Embryoblasts divide into

A

Into 2 layered disc/ cell types

  • Epiblast,
  • Hypoblast,
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40
Q

What do Trophoblasts divide into

A

Into 2 divisions/ cell types:

  • Cytotrophoblast
  • Syncytiotrophoblast
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41
Q

What is Epiblast

A

Outer layer of columnar cells

42
Q

What is Hypoblast

A

Inner layer of cuboidal cells

Migrate around inside of cytotrophoblast - form Heusers membrane

43
Q

What is Cytotrophoblast

A

Inner cells remain as single layer around the blastocyst – remain encompassing around developing embryoblast
- Encompasses around

44
Q

What is Syncytiotrophoblast

A
  • Outer cells lose their membranes, coalesce & infiltrate deeper – migrate further into stroma and embed developing embryo into uterine wall.
  • As these cells migrate in, it forms a syncytian – lots of cells loose in their membrane and forming multiinuclated cells by their fusing - like skeletal muscle
45
Q

What does all this cell divsion and migration need

A

Lot of nutrients, proteins, oxygen, minerals and energy

46
Q

What develop each side of embryo during week 2

A

Cavities - formation of sacs - fluid filled bag with liquid

Epiblast forms sac on one side and Hypoblast forms sac on other side

47
Q

Role of Amnioblast cells in the epiblast

A
  • Form the amniotic sac, fluid & membranes - create a ring on sides
  • Functions: homeostatic environment, mechanical shock-absorption, buoyancy - membrane doesn’t have too much pressure –can create cell death
    , low resistance to movement – if mum falls over, baby doesn’t get slapped to sides - bones weak when devloping, protection from intrauterine infection – immune protection - barrier around developing embryo – any localized infections
48
Q

What sac froms from epiblast

A

Amniotic sac

49
Q

What sac froms from hypoblast

A

Yolk sac

50
Q

What happens to cells in hypoblast

A
  • Cells migrate along inside of the cytotrophoblast to form the Yolk sac (a.k.a., Heuser’s membrane)
  • Functions: nutrients for early embryo, replaced later by placenta
51
Q

Why does trophoblast penetrate deeper into maternal tissue

A
  • Try and find a constant supply of oxygen and nutrients and then will develop the placenta
  • Need another supply of nutrients reservoir for initial stages of embryology – get that from yolk sac so that hypoblast sends out cells (Heuser’s membrane) which wrap around inside of the cytotrophoblast and form yolk sac
52
Q

What does yolk sac do

A
  • Forms cavity in the middle
  • Initial nutrient reservoir that embryo is laying down for initial stages of development - replaced later on by placenta
53
Q

What happens during week 3

A

Gastrulation

54
Q

What happens during gastrulation

A
  • Primitive streak’ (midline groove) appears in caudal (tail) end of the epiblast
  • Cells in the streak proliferate & ingress into Hypoblast
  • Replacing original occupants (which die by apoptosis) & forming the Endoderm
  • A 2nd wave of ingression by epiblast cells occurs in-between, forming a middle
    layer, the Mesoderm
  • Remaining epiblast cells convert into the Ectoderm
Endo = within
Meso = middle
Ecto = external
Derm = skin/layer
55
Q

Why does gastrolation need to occur

A

Ball of cells with cavity in there turns into something that’s gonna start twisting and turning and forming structures that are more resembled future mammals

56
Q

What is endoderm

A

Epiblast derivatives

57
Q

What happens to remaining epiblast cells

A

Stop migrating down midline groove, change into the ectoderm

58
Q

Formation of Primitive streak and what happens after

A

Epiblast cells migrate down at groove point and invadee this space that was taken uo by cells below them

  • As they migrate down, hypoblast cells undergo apoptosis as they are no longer needed.
  • Epiblast cells fill up space along bottom and differentiate into specific cell derivatives - endoderms
59
Q

What is the point where the primitive streak forms

A

Where epiblast and hypoblast meet - interphase between yolk and amiotic sac
1 end head and 1 end tail - signalling within cellular structure - give polarity to whats developing

60
Q

Summary of Gastrulation

A
  • 1st wave of cells migrate down the midline and invade layer filled by hypoblasts
  • Hypoblasts die off by apoptosis, leaving this space behind
  • As epiblasts migrate in – reforms this layer forming endoderm
  • Once layer reformed, cells continue to migrate in, fill space inbetween and become the mesoderm,
  • Once these void is filled, these cells stop migrating and these cells differentiate into the ectoderm
61
Q

Significance of the Germ Layers

A
  • The cells in the 3 Germ Layers are no longer pluri-potent ‘stem cells’ capable of generating any cell type in the body, but have now become committed to producing only a restricted set of cells & tissues (known as their ‘derivatives’).
  • This commitment to produce cells with a particular ‘fate’ involves inactivation of different sets of genes in the cells of each Germ Layer, so restricting potential to a limited range of possibilities the progeny they can give rise to.
62
Q

Cell of outer ectoderm

A

Columnar epithelial cell

63
Q

Cell of middle mesoderm

A

Fibroblast-like cells & fibres

64
Q

Cell of Inner Endoderm

A

Cuboidal epithelial cells

65
Q

What type of cells were the cells that created the different membranes in epiblast

A

Pluripotent - have a potential as a stem cell to prouce any single cell type throughout body

66
Q

What happpens after you go throug gastoration and get formation of ectoderm, mesoderm and endoderm

A

The fate of the cells that are now within the 3 layers have definitive paths – cant form any single cell type – have specific lineage they can go and create – specific structures throughout body

67
Q

The Germ Layer Derivatives

A

Endoderm - outer epithelia and nervous system
Mesoderm - everything in between including connective tissue
Endoderm - Inner Epithelia and some organs

68
Q

What happens during week 4

A
  • Germ disc grows & folds: tubular embryo
  • Becomes clyindrical
  • Start to get twisting
  • Those germ layers - specific cell types start to differentiate and multiply and start to form different types of tissues
  • Get foldings of Somites
69
Q

What are somites

A

Clusters which will then develop into vertebrate – creating axial skeleton

70
Q

What happens to Ectoderm

A
    • Midline ( what it migrates into ) thickens & folds above
  • Forms Neural Tube (precursor to brain, spinal cord) = can form n.s.
  • Still continue to be your outer epithelia
71
Q

What happens to Mesoderm

A
  • Cells aggregate in groups ( groups of mesoderms cluster together and form precursor to different tissue types )
  • Midline, compact: forms Somites, forerunners of the axial skeleton (e.g., vertebral column)
  • Lateral ( away from midline ), migrate: forms scleratomes (non-axial skeleton – bones around periphery of body – arms,legs,fingers ), myotomes (muscle), dermatomes (dermis – connective tissue components of skin)
72
Q

What happens to Endoderm

A

-Folds under – folds around on itself as it wants to form gut tube
Forms the inner Gut Tube

73
Q

What happens at end of week 3

A

Disk is folding

74
Q

What forms the vertebrate of spinal cord

A

Somites

75
Q

What forms the neural tube

A

Foldings downwards at midline

76
Q

What happens at week 5

A

A Recognizable Vertebrate

77
Q

What is the Placenta

A

A vascular network with 2 separate parts

78
Q

What are the 2 parts of the placenta

A
  • Maternal blood vessels

- Embryonic blood vessels

79
Q

Maternal blood vessels

A
  • Spaces (lacunae) appear in syncytio-trophoblast merging and working its way through those capillaries/stroma
  • Invaded by capillaries in uterine wall
  • Supply O2 + nutrients & remove embryonic CO2 & waste products
80
Q

Embryonic blood vessels

A
  • Finger-like villi project from cyto-trophoblast on other side next to embryo – eventually form capillaries and those capillaries in cytotrophoblast will match up and fuse with capillaries/arteries and veins of developing embryo
  • Inner cells at core of villi differentiate into capillaries
81
Q

Why doesnt maternal - embryonic/fetal blood mix

A

Because haemoglobin in baby has higher affinity for O2 than the mother

82
Q

What happens at week 8

A

Large and more foldings

83
Q

Why do you need the placenta

A

Need a much larger reservoir of nutrients and O2 for the big events that are gonna go into the fetal life where everything expands in size

84
Q

What comes out of the placenta

A

Finger like capillaries which run very closely to maternal blood capillaries – but they don’t fuse or touch

85
Q

What does placenta join onto and how

A

Embryo through the embolical cord, blood flows from ebmbryo into placenta

86
Q

What meets

A

Maternal blood supply meets embryonic blood supply

87
Q

What do the capillaries go through in the maternal blood supply

A

Uterine stroma

88
Q

How does embryo treat maternal capillaries

A

Embryo doensnt want to break maternal capillaries – untouched at the lacunae
It wants to work its way around them and fuse around them because it wants to keep those capillaries functioning – need those nutrients

89
Q

What happens at week 9

A

Early Fetus, an incipient Human

90
Q

Fetal development stages

A
  • Week 12: ~10 cm long:
    .External genitalia
    .Disproportionate head growth
  • Week 24: ~20 cm long
    .Face developed
    .Increased body growth
    .Limb movements
  • Week 27/28: ~ 25 cm long
    . May survive premature birth, but hypothermia & lung collapse remain likely - cant regulate body temp yet
  • Week 38: 35-40 cm long
    ‘Hi, Mum’
91
Q

What week can you start to tell the gender

A

12

92
Q

Importance of taking Birth Histories when examining infants & children – END STAGE

A
  • Was delivery normal & without injury?
    Respiratory distress – less O2, risk factor for cerebral palsy – isn’t always obvious
  • Was the child premature?
    .A Risk Factor for specific vision problems
    .Mild (high myopia); Moderate (eye movements squint, nystagmus); Severe – (retinopathy: ROP)

(- Specific risks for Retinopathy of Prematurity Extreme prematurity, <28 weeks
.Duration of oxygen given on ventilator
.Blood transfusion required; occurrence of seizures

93
Q

What happens if umbilical cord trapped

A

Cut off blood supply to fetus during labour = neuronal problems – brain damaged – effect on eyes

94
Q

Retinopathy of Prematurity

A

If youre developing, your capillaries are growing on your retina – if youre exposed to high levels of O2 – that can diffuse straight through cornea = high levels of O2 = don’t need retinal capillaries to provide O2 = die off BUT problem is when baby comes out of high O2 chambers and back into normal air,your retina becomes hypoxic because it doesn’t have enough capillaries to feed all neurons of the retina – retina could end up as a screwed up ball inside your eye and lead to blindness

95
Q

Abnormal devlopment

A
  • Spontaneous embryonic abortion

- Birth defects

96
Q

Spontaneous embryonic abortion

A
  • Can occur after 1st period – miscarriage
  • Major malformations incompatible with further development terminate ~50% of pregnancies – occur before women realise theyre pregnant
97
Q

Birth defects

A

( if it does survive and you end up with developing features ) affect 5-10% live births – later on birth defects

  • Embryonic defects ( 8 weeks ): can result in gross malformations, some preclude extra-uterine life – only live a few days
  • Fetal defects: usually cause under or over -development of existing tissues/organs, so disabilities surmountable
98
Q

Causes of abnormal devlopment

A

Genetic – from mother/father & environmental teratogens

99
Q

What happens if problems during 1st 3 weeks

A

Devopling embryo cannot live = dies off – women back to normal mensutral cycle – not realise theyre pregnant

100
Q

What is Toxoplasmosis

A

Caused by bacteria associated with cat poo

101
Q

Examples of maternal exposure to toxic agents

A

1) Infectious: e.g., viruses & parasites
rubella, herpes, HIV & toxoplasmosis
Micro-ophthalmia & heart defects

(2) Physical: e.g. ionizing radiation
blindness, craniofacial & CNS defects – neuron deformity

(3) Chemical: e.g. too many to list
Thalidomide – chiral molecule – one isomer causes (anti-emetic): limb malformation – short arms and legs = got rid of morning sickness
Alcohol:, micro-encephaly with optic nerve hypoplasia & mental retardation – small head – everything is too small – brain underdevloped

102
Q

Early vs. Late Teratogenic Effects

A
  • Fetal teratogen (alcohol exposure) = Micro-Encephaly with smaller optic nerves (also different eyelid positions)
  • Embryonic teratogen (exposure days 19-21) = Cyclopia or Synophthalmia