Lecture 4- Development of the reproductive tracts Flashcards
sexual differentiation involves the
- gonads
- genital ducts
- external genitalia
during the first 5 weeks sexual development is
identical for both male (XY) and female (XX)

at week 5 the embryo is made up of
ectoderm
mesoderm
endoderm
mesoderm has 3 parts
paraxial- vertebral column
intermediate
lateral plate

intermediate mesoderm on both side of the embryo condenses into 2
cylindrical structures- urogenital ridges
- runs parallel to the the future vertebral column
- organises into a cylinder of mesoderm called the nephrogenic cord

nephrogenic cord goes onto become
urinary structures and the gonads

portion of the neohrogenic cord that gives rise to gonads in males and female
gential 9gonadal) ride
- mesoderm covered in epithelium
gonadal development start
in the yolk sac covered in endoderm
gonads in the yolk sac are connecte dto the embryovia the
vitelline duct

some endoderm cells from the wall of the yolk sac differnetiate into
primordial germ cells
primordial germ cells in the yolk sac
- start to migrate along the vitelline duct
- eventually to the primitive digestive tract and later to the dorsal mesentery (sheet of tissue which anchors the digestive tract on the posteiror body wall)
- then they reach the genital ridge (week 6)
- primoridal germ cells settle in the epithelium

once at the epithelium in the genital ridge the primordial cells send out signals which
make them self organise into an undifferentiated gonad
- can still develop into testes or ovaries
epitheilial layer of the undifferentiated gonad then forms
primitive sex cords- epithelial projections that penetrate inwards
- mesoderm layer of gonad

what happens at around week 7
sex chromsookmes start expressing genes that cause gonadal differentiation
where on the chromosome is gondadal differentiation coded for in males
the Sex Determing Region of chromosome Y (SRY)
SRY codes for
testis determing factor
testis determing factor
intitiates development of testes
sex cords in the priordial testes become
medullary cords

medullary cords
grow loger nad carry the germ cells deeper into the mesoderm
in week 7 what happens to the surface epithelial layer of the gonad
thins out to become the tunica albuginea

fter tunica albignea formation what happens to the meduallary cords
develop into 3 ductal stuctures inside the testes
- seminiferous tubule
- straight tubes
- rete testes

week 8 of teste formation after differentiation of medullary cord what happens to seminfierous tubule cells
some cells in the walls of the seminiferous tubule differentiate into sertoli cells
sertoili cells surround the primodial cells and secrete ANTI-MULLERIAN HORMONE









