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Reproduction > Male Reproductive Microstructure > Flashcards

Male Reproductive Microstructure Flashcards

1
Q

What is the endocrine function of the testis?

A

androgen production

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2
Q

What is the exocrine function of the testis?

A

sperm and fluid production

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3
Q

Where are the sperm made?

A

the seminiferous tubules

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4
Q

What is the pathway of the sperm from creation to ejaculation?

A
  1. seminiferous tubules
  2. rete testis
  3. efferent ductules
  4. epididymis
  5. vas deferens
  6. ejaculatory duct
  7. urethra
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5
Q

What are the 3 accessory glands?

A
  1. prostate
  2. seminal vesicles
  3. Cowper’s (bulbourethral glands)
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6
Q

What is the excurrent duct system?

A

Moves from where the sperm are made away from the testis and out of the body

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7
Q

What is the blood supply to the testis?

A

the testicular artery surrounded by the pampiniform venous plexus

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8
Q

Describe the structure of the testis?

A

surrounded by a thick CT called tunica albuginea that invaginated into the testis and separates it into lobules. Each lobule can contain 1-4 seminiferous tubules. The mediastinum of the testis is a thickening of the tunica albuginea along the posterior surface of the testicle

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9
Q

What does the mediastinum hold?

A
  • rete testis

- highly vascularized

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10
Q

What is cryptorhidism?

A

when the testis don’t descend when they should at week 26 of gestation. can cause infertility and become cancerous if not fixed with surgery.

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11
Q

Why are the testis kept at a cooler temp?

A

to allow for normal sperm production

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12
Q

How are the testis kept at a cooler temperature?

A
  1. testis are held outside the body
  2. can be lowered or retracted depending on temp
  3. countercurrent exchange of heat between the venous vasculature and arteriole vasculature. (heat flows from hot to cold)
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13
Q

Describe the seminiferous epithelium

A
  1. stratified epithelium
  2. avascular
  3. sertoli cells
  4. developing spermatogenic cells
  5. myofibroblasts (located between the basal lamina and the basal plasma membrane of the developing cells, has contractile ability)
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14
Q

What is the role of the myofibroblasts?

A

contractile activity helps move the sperm out of the seminiferous tubules to the rete testis since the sperm are not yet motile

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15
Q

What are the stages of spermatogenesis in the seminiferous tubules and how much DNA do the cells contain?

A
  1. spermatogonium (2N, 46 chr)
  2. primary spermatocytes (4N, 46 chr)
  3. secondary spermatocyte (2N, 23 chr)
  4. spermatid (1N, 23 chr)
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16
Q

Should you be able to identify a secondary spermatocyte?

A

No, don’t spend enough time in the epithelium to identify

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17
Q

How do the cells differentiate and migrate toward the lumen?

A

on a diagonal

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18
Q

What developing cells are connected by intercellular bridges?

A
  1. developing spermatogonium of the same stage

2. sertoli cells have tight junctions connecting them to each other

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19
Q

How long is spermatogenesis?

A

last 64-74 days and starts at puberty when levels of gonadotropins increase.

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20
Q

What are the two phases of spermatogenesis?

A
  1. Spermatocytogenesis: several mitotic divisions (21 days as spermatogonia) and 22 days of meiosis 1 and 2 where it stops at prophase, are spermatocytes
  2. spermiogenesis: remodeling that occurs as spermatocytes differentiate into mature spermatids (22 days)
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21
Q

What vitamin is essential for sperm development?

A

Vitamin A

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22
Q

Characteristics of spermatogonium?

A
  • first layer of cells, not inside the basal lamina.
  • are round with a nuclei that takes up almost the whole cytoplasm
  • sit beneath the basal lamina, the other spermatocytes sit above the basal lamina
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23
Q

Characteristics of primary spermatocytes?

A
  • 2nd layer of cells that are actively dividing so their nuclei look like a bunch of tangled DNA
24
Q

Characteristics of early spermatids?

A

closer to the lumen and are smaller than the primary spermatocytes

25
Q

Characteristics of late spermatids?

A

closest to the lumen with head down and tail up, much smaller

26
Q

What are sertoli cells?

A
  • pale staining cells in seminiferous epithelium with a dark staining nucleolus.
  • somatic cells that nuture the developing sperm as the develop
  • go all the way from the basement membrane to the lumen.
  • sertoli cells are connected to each other by tight junctions
  • in their outer extensions, the spermatogenic cells sit in pockets until released into the lumen
27
Q

What are leydig cells?

A
  • large, pale staining cells in the interstitial space
  • very eosinophilic
  • they are active in early fetal life and secrete testosterone
  • dormant between 5 months of age and puberty
  • are activated during puberty by high exposure to gonadotrrophins
  • produce testosterone during development which causes the excurrent duct system to form
28
Q

What creates the blood testis border and what is this borders significance in development?

A
  • the sertoli cells that are connected by tight junctions
  • spermatogonium are present before development of the immune system, so they are not seen as foreign. However, the spermatocytes etc develop long after the immune system so they are seen as foreign. The blood-testis border protects these cells from attack by the immune system
29
Q

What regulates the number of germ cells in the seminiferous tubules?

A

the sertoli cells.

  • they divide before puberty and once puberty starts, they stop dividing.
  • sertoli cells can only take care of so many germ cells
30
Q

What are the two compartments of the seminiferous epithelium and what makes these compartments?

A
  • adluminal compartment and basal compartment

- made by the tight junctions of the sertoli cells

31
Q

How do developing spermatogonium move from the basal compartment to the adluminal compartment?

A

the basal lamina is constantly being remodeled, so when the spermatogonium needs to move to the adluminal compartment, the basal lamina breaks down then reforms once the spermatogonium has passed

32
Q

Describe the role of sertoli cells and iron transport

A
  1. iron bound in the blood to serum transferrin
  2. carried to the basal sertoli cells that have transferrin receptors
  3. free iron is released into the sertoli cell which has its own testicular-transferrin molecule
  4. germ cells have a receptor for the sertoli transferrin
  5. transferrin-Fe complex released into extracellular compartment where it binds receptor on the germ cells and releases iron into the germ cells
33
Q

What are the main parts of the mature sperm?

A
  1. head
  2. neck
  3. tail (mid, principle and end-piece)
34
Q

What makes up the middle piece?

A

mitochondria, coarse fivers and axonemal complex

35
Q

What is the axonemal complex?

A

The parts that make up the motility of the sperm, the microtubules and dynein arms (motor protein)
- in all parts of the tail

36
Q

What are the steps of spermiogenesis?

A
  • acrosome formation (like a big lysosome)
    1. made in RER and packed in golgi
    2. vesicles pinch off and fuse when they leave the golgi
    3. sit adjacent to the nucleus and determines the anterior pole of the sperm
    4. centrioles migrate to posterior pole and initiate axoneme formation.
    5. acrosome spreads over the nucleus while the contents of the nucleus condense (still inactive) and sperm head flattens and elongates
    6. tail is formed
    7. mitochondria organize around the mid piece
    8. excess cytoplasm is phagocytksed by the sertoli cells
37
Q

How is DNA packaged in sperm?

A

uses protamines which package even more tightly than histones

38
Q

Characteristics of the rete testis?

A
  • simple cuboidal cells
  • single cilium and microvilli
  • surrounded by fibroblasts and myoid cells
  • has a CT with lots of fibroblasts and rich blood supply
39
Q

What do the efferent ductules connect?

A

pierces the tunica albuginea and links the rete testis with the epididymis

40
Q

What are the characteristics of efferent ductules?

A
  • pseudostratified columnar epithelium
  • principle cells with microvilli for resorption of fluid
  • ciliated cells for moving the sperm that are not yet motile
  • basal cells
  • uneven lumen
41
Q

How can you tell the efferent ductules from the tete testis?

A
  • rete testis has a larger lumen than the efferent ductules.
  • rete testis is simple cuboidal and the efferent tubules are pseudostratified columnar
42
Q

What happens to the sperm in the epididymis?

A
  • sperm acquire motility (but they still don’t move themselves)
  • ability to fertilize oocyte (but this is inhibited by addition of decapactitation factors which add cholesterol to the plasma membrane of the sperm)
  • zona recognition factors are added which are necessary for binding the egg
  • any excess cytoplasm is removed via microvilli (stereocilia)
43
Q

What are the characteristics of the epididymis?

A
  • very even lumen
  • pesudostratified columnar epithelium
  • surrounded by SM for propelling the sperm
  • tall ciliated cells
  • short microvilli cells (stereocilia)
  • basal cells
44
Q

Does smooth muscle thicken or thin in the tail of the epididymis?

A

THICKEN BITCHES

45
Q

What ducts join the vas deferens?

A

seminal vesicles join prior to entering the abdomen?

46
Q

Characteristics of the vas deferens?

A
  1. pseudostratified columnar with steriocilia

2. 3 layers of SM (longitudinal, circular, then longitudinal)

47
Q

What regulates the seminal vesicles production of seminal fluid?

A
  • DHT and testosterone
48
Q

What are the characteristics of the seminal vesicles?

A
  1. highly folded mucosa that makes it look like the lumen is multiple compartments
  2. sits on top of the prostate
  3. secretes viscous fluid for the ejaculatory fluid
49
Q

What are the 3 regions of the prostate and what glands are contained within them?

A
  1. central zone with mucosal glands
  2. transition zone with submucosal glands
  3. peripheral zone with main prostatic glands
50
Q

What is BPH (benign prostatic hypertrophy)?

A

When there is hyperplasia of the mucosal and submucosal glands causing them to compress the prostatic urethra. Can lead to retention of urine and inability to completely empty the bladder or infection of the bladder and kidney

51
Q

What is prostatic carcinoma?

A

hyperplasia of glandular tissue

52
Q

What are the tubuloalveolar glands?

A

glands in the prostate that have a pseudostratified columnar epithelium, concretions in the lumen, surrounded by muscle and produce alkaline secretions.

53
Q

What are the 3 chambers in the penis and what are the surrounded by?

A

2 corpora cavernosa and 1 corpora spongiosum. All 3 surrounded by tunica albuginia but it is thicker and inelastic around the corpora cavernous and is thin and elastic around the corpora spongiosum

54
Q

What is in the middle of the corpora spongiosum?

A

the urethra

55
Q

What do parasympathetics control in the penis?

A

erection- SM relaxation and dilation of helicine arteries via ACh and NO.

56
Q

What do sympathetics control in the penis?

A

ejaculation

57
Q

What structures produce semen?

A
  1. testes
  2. epididymis
  3. vas deferens
  4. prostate
  5. seminal vesicles
  6. Cowper’s (bulbourethral glands)

Reproduction (11 decks)

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