Lect. 1: Fertilization, Cleavage, Gastrulation Flashcards
What stage of division is a primary oocyte arrested in?
Prophase of Meiosis I
When does a primary oocyte complete Meiosis I?
shortly before ovulation
Are primary oocytes “n” or “2n”?
2n
What stage of division is a secondary oocyte arrested in? When does it complete this division?
a secondary oocyte is arrested in metaphase of Meiosis II until fertilization
Explain the stages of spermatogenesis.
Spermatogonia perform mitosis and divide into primary spermatocytes. These are stuck in a prolonged prophase of meiosis I until dividing into secondary spermatocytes. After completing meiosis II, the secondary spermatocytes form HAPLOID spermatids.
List the major steps of fertilization.
1) Penetration of the corona radiata
2) Penetration of the Zone Pellucida
3) fusion of the oocyte and sperm membrane
4) Sperm head and tail enter the oocyte
What does the entrance of sperm into the oocyte stimulate?
1) Zona reaction
2) Cortical reaction
3) resumption of second meiotic division
4) Metabolic activation of the egg
What is capacitation? How long does this take?
a period of conditioning the female reproductive tract that lasts around 7 hours. It involves the removal of a protein coat from the surface of the head of the spermatozoa and is REQUIRED for fertilization to occur
What must occur for a sperm to be able to pass through the corona cells and undergo the acrosome reaction?
capacitation
What is the acrosome reaction?
A reaction that occurs at the moment that the sperm binds to the zona pellucida. It is induced by zona proteins and results in spermatozoan release of enzymes required to penetrate the zona pellucida to begin the fertilization process
What occurs if more than 1 spermatozoa enters the zona pellucida?
polyspermy
When the sperm enters the oocyte, what is “left behind”?
sperm mitochondria does NOT enter the oocyte
What is the cortical reaction?
the contact of the sperm and oocyte results in the release of lysosomal enzymes from cortical granules that line the plasma membrane of the oocyte. This results in the oocyte membrane becoming impenetrable to other spermatozoa
What is the zona reaction?
The enzymes from the cortical reaction alter the properties of the ZP to prevent sperm penetration.
What are the consequences of fertilization?
1) completion of Meiosis II (for oocytes)
2) restoration of the diploid chromosome number
3) determination of sex
4) initiation of cleavage (first mitotic division of embryo)
What does the second meiotic division of the oocyte result in?
- One daughter cell receives barely any cytoplasm= polar body
- The other daughter cell is the larger, definitive oocyte
What does the spermatozoon become as it lies close to the female pronucleus?
male pronucleus
Are the male and female pronuclei haploid or diploid?
haploid
What must occur in the male and female pronuclei before the first mitotic division?
they must replicate their DNA so that when the cell divides, the zygote has the normal amount of DNA
What are the cells of zygote called after the first mitotic division?
two blastomeres are present in the two-cell stage
When is the 2-cell stage achieved?
around 30 hours after fertilization
When is the 4-cell stage achieved?
around 40 hours after fertilization
What is different in blastomeres in the 8-cell stage?
they undergo compaction where a compact ball of cells forms (where the inner cells are held together by tight junctions)
What is the embryo at 16 cell phase called?
the morula
When is the morula typically formed?
around 3-4 days
What surrounds the early morula that disappears after the 4th day?
zona pellucida
What are the two portions of the morula?
1) inner cell mass
2) outer cell mass
What does the inner cell mass of the morula give rise to?
embryo proper
What does the outer cell mass of the morula give rise to?
trophoblast (which later contributes to the placenta)
At what stage does the developing embryo reach the uterus?
in the morula stage (WITH the zona pellucida still in tact)
What occurs once the morula enters the uterine cavity?
fluid begins to penetrate through the ZP into the intercellular spaces of the inner cell mass leading to the formation of a blastocele
What is a blastocyst?
the name for an embryo after the formation of a blastocele (cavity formed by fluid penetration)
What are the inner and outer cell masses called in a blastocyst?
inner: embryoblast
outer: trophoblast
What is the trophoblast?
outer cells of the blastocyst that flatten and form the epithelial wall of the blastocyst