Male Reproductive Tract Flashcards
What are the testis?
oval, paired gonad outside the body
How are the testis held to the body?
suspended by spermatic cord (vas deferens)
What are the membranes of the testis?
tunica albuginea, tunica vaginalis
When do the testes move into the scrotum? Why?
before puberty
because they need to be at a cooler temp for sperm production
What is cryptochidism?
failure of the testicles to descend
What do the muscles and scrotal skin do?
respond to changes in temp, shifting the testis to regulate heat
wrinkling, sweating
How does the scrotum keep cool?
meshwork of vessels on surface of skin
pampiniform plexus
How does the pampiniform plexus work?
venules carrying blood from testis cools arterial blood entering the testis to help regulate temp
veins of pampiniform plexus wrap around testicualr artery to increase surface area and maximize heat transfer
What are interstitial testis tissues?
tissues in between the testis
small arteries, capillaries, veins, leydig cells
What to leydig cells do?
sex determination during embryogenesis
onset and completion of puberty
maintenance and function of testis (spermatogenesis)
What temperature is the testis kept at?
33 C
What happens in the semineferous tubule?
sertoli epithelial cells with differentiating germ cells lying between them
germ cells go through meiotic and meiotic divisions while differentiating. move towards the lumen until they are released as mature sperm
What is the basal compartment?
section of the seminiferous tubule
bottom, where immature sperm are
What is the adluminal compartment?
inner 2/3 of tubule
spermatocytes and spermatids
What separates the basal and adluminal compartments?
blood-testis barrier, tight junction
What is the point of the blood-testis barrier?
protecting sperm from antibodies
What are myoid cells? What do they do?
contraticle cells surrounding seminiferous tubule, semi-permeable layer
regulates permeability of substances and secretions
What is spermatocytogenesis?
process of the progression of gonia through spermatocyte and spermatid stages
What is spermiogenesis?
structural and morphological changes that result in the transformation of the spermatids into mature sperm
What is the point of spermatogenesis?
generate reserve pool of germ line
What are the types of sperm (process)
Type A - Type Intermediate - Type B
Why does type A spermtogonia not go through complete cytokinesis?
they have cytoplasmic bridges that remain to connect them (pearls)
What defines a primary spermatocyte?
undergo first meiotic division to produce 2 dipliod cells (meiosis has 2 divisions so they are 2n)