Male VM overview Flashcards
Three components in a reporductive system
male sex gland, series of ducts for delivery, copulatory orgna
Functions of the Male Reproductive System
The male reproductive system has three main functions:
1) produce and store the male gamete,
2) produce the male sex hormones (androgens), and
3) deliver the male gametes to the female reproductive tract.
The testis is surrounded by a capsule of dense fibrous connective tissue (CT), the Tunica Albuginea (TA).
Be able to recogize the tunica albiginia and seminiferous tubules
What cell types lie in the seminiferous tubules?
Sertoli cells, leydig cells
sperm going through spermatogenesis
From external to interanal, what are our phases of spermatogeneis
Spermatagonia
1 spermatocytes
2nd spermatocytes
spermatids
sperm
- Secrete tubular fluid
- Provide mechanical and nutritional support for germinal cells
- Degrade residual bodies &unreleased sperm
- Secrete androgen binding protein(ABP), inhibin, activin and transferrin
- Establish a blood testis barrier
•Mediate release of mature sperm
Sertoli Cells
_________, the spermatogonial phase, is the time that Spermatogonia divide by mitosis and maintain a stem cell population. This provides a pool of differentiated cells that are committed to meiosis.
Spermatocytogenesis
The process of______ occupies the second or spermatocyte phase. By two divisions, Primary Spermatocytes become Spermatids.
Meiosis
The third phase is called_______ or the spermatid phase during which round spermatids become Mature Sperm.
Spermiogenesis
Once formed sperm are released into the lumen of the seminiferous tubule. This process, Spermiation, is driven by actin mediated contraction of
Interconnected, epithelial lined spaces within the mediastinum testis. The epithelium is simple cuboidal, each cell having a single cilium. The spaces are bound by trabeculae containing smooth muscle cells.
Rete Teste
are somatic cells that span the full thickness of seminiferous epithelium. They do not divide and have a well developed cytoskeleton.
Sertoli Cells
consists of tight junctions between Sertoli cells each having >50 sealing strands. This creates two compartments, a Basal containing spermatogonia and an Adluminal containing germinal cells.
The Blood-Testis Barrier
The capsule surrounding the seminiferous tubules is called the tunica propria. It is external to the basement membrane of the epithelium and contains 3-5 layers of Myoid (peritubular) Cells. The myoid cells are surrounded by fibrous CT.
Tunica Propria
These are large cells that contain abundant sER, mitochondria with tubulovesicular cristae, lipid droplets and Reinke crystals.
Interstitial (Leydig) Cells
The testis is controlled by pusatile release of__________from the pituitary gland which in turn is controlled by pusatile secretion of releasing hormones (GnRH) from the hypothalamus.
gonadotrophic hormones (GH)
supports maturation of Sertoli and Leydig cells and maintains spermatogenesis
Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH)
__________ stimulates synthesis and release of testosterone by interstitial cells.________ maintains spermatogenesis, the male duct morphology and function, accessory sex gland structure and function and secondary sex characteristics. I
Leutinizing Hormone (LH; ICSH in males)
Testosterone
The testis also produces ______ that feeds back at the pituitary and hypothalamic levels to modulate FSH release.
Inhibin B
are lined with columnar epithelium.The lumen appears to have a scalloped border because clumps of tall epithelial cells are ciliated while other clumps are not. he nonciliated tall cells (principal cells) have microvilli and reabsorb tubular fluid. Basal cells regenerate the epithelium. The ducts have a thin, circular layer of smooth muscle.
Efferent Ductules
is lined with pseudostratified columnar epithelium whose tall (principal) cells have branched stereocilia. The ducts have an even, spherical lumen. Tall epithelial cells contain coated vesicles, apical lysosomes, rER and basal golgi.
Ductus Epididymis
Within the_______ tubular fluid is reab- sorbed, residual bodies are phagocytosed and glycoproteins are added to the sperm membrane glycocalyx for stabilization. Smooth muscle layers in the wall increase in thickness for one circular layer in the head to three layers in the tail where sperm are stored.
epididymis
Describe cell type in the Ductus Deferens
How many layers are there?
The mucosa is lined with pseudostratified columnar epithelium whose tall cells have long microvilli. The muscularis tunic of the wall has 3 layers, an inner longitudinal,
a middle circular, and an outer longitudinal.
