Reproduction system: Sperm Flashcards
What is spermatogenesis?
The process of make sperm
Where does spermatogenesis occur?
In the seminiferous tubules of the testes
Label the diagram
When does sperm production begin?
After puberty
What is the rate of sperm production?
300-600 sperm per gram of testicle tissue per second
What are the three phases of spermatogenesis?
Mitotic division, meiotic division, cytodifferentiation
During puberty, what happens to the stem cells in the seminiferous tubules?
They become re-activated and begin to divide by mitosis
Explain what happens in spermatogenesis?
The spermatogonia (a sperm producing cell in the wall of the seminiferous tubules) divide by mitosis, one of these cells remains undifferentiated and on the wall to maintain the stem cell population and the other cell continues to divide by mitosis forming spermatogonia. The spermatogonia will undergo mitosis 6-7 times
Where does the mitotic division occur during spermatogenesis?
Basal compartment of the seminiferous tubules
How are the spermatogonia joined together?
In a chain
Where do the spermatogonia go to once they have completed their mitosis?
Move between adjacent sertoli cells to the adluminal comparmant of the seminiferous tubules
Label the diagram
What happens to the primary spermatocytes?
They undergo meiosis I producing… (FYI the chromosomes in the parent cell are duplicated to produce homologous chromosomes, these are re-shuffled due to independent assortment and recombination then separated evenly into…) 2 secondary spermatocytes with 23 chromosomes each with 2 chromatids
What happens tote secondary spermatocyte?
They undergo meiosis II and each secondary spermatocyte produces 2 spermatids each with 23 chromatids in each one
What is spermiogenesis?
The final stage of spermatogenesis where the spermatids differentiate and become spermatozoa (i.e. sperm) for a mail, a mid piece and a head