sex and reproduction 2 Flashcards
what do sex hormones affect
growth, development, reproductive cycles and sexual behaviour
what are the sources of sex hormones
gonads and the adrenal glands
what are the 3 types of steroid hormone secreted by the gonads
androgens, oestrogen and progesterone
what is the most important oestrogen in the female reproductive system
oestradiol
what is progesterone involved in
preparation and maintenance of tissues of the uterus required for the support and growth of an embryo
what is synthesis of gonadal hormones usually controlled by
two gonadotropins from the anterior pituitary - FSH and LH
what is gonadotropin secretion controlled by
secretion of GnRH from the hypothalamus
what is AMH
it is released from the testes along with testosterone and promotes the degeneration of female ducts
what is the bipotential gonad
it either forms testes or ovaries - it is the structure present in the embryo before sexual development occurs
what is DES
synthetic oestrogen prescribed to women at risk of pregnancy complications
it can alter the reproductive system of the fetus and is now recognised as an endocrine disrupter (a foreign molecule that interrupts the normal function of a hormone pathway)
what happens in asexual reproduction of aspen trees
all trees in a groove have developed from the roots of one founder tree - the grove is a somatic clone
what describes the sexual rituals of lizard mating even though parthenogenesis is occurring
pseudo mating
how doo bananas breed
asexually - they are all clones of the buds forming from the main plant - similar to aspen trees
what is fertilization
the fusion of gametes to form a zygote
what would happen if polyspermy were too occur
the entry of multiple sperm cells into the egg nuclei - the resulting abnormal number of chromosomes would be lethal to the embryo
what is an acrosomal reaction
the discharge of hydrolytic enzymes from the acrosome, a vesicle at the tip of the sperm, when the sperm approaches or contacts an egg
what is an acrosome
a vesicle at the tip of a sperm that contains hydrolytic enzymes and other proteins that help the sperm reach the egg
what do the hydrolytic enzymes of the acrosome of a sperm do during the acrosomal reaction
they partially digest the jelly coat of the egg enabling a sperm structure called the acrosomal process to form elongate and penetrate the coat
what do the protein molecules on the tip of the acrosomal process do
they bind to specific receptor proteins in the egg plasma membrane
what happens after the sperm has bound to the receptor proteins on the egg in the acrosomal reaction
the sperm nucleus enters the egg cytoplasm as ion channels open in the eggs plasma membrane.
sodium ions diffuse into the egg causing depolarization which acts as a fast block to polyspermy
how is the slow block to polyspermy established
- once the sperm binds to the egg, vesicles called cortical granules fuse with the egg plasma membrane
- the contents of the cortical granules are released into the space between the egg plasma membrane and the surrounding vitelline layer
- enzymes and other granule contents then trigger a cortical reaction which lifts the vitelline layer away from the egg and hardens the layer to protect the fertilization envelope that has just been formed
what are the steps in the acrosomal reaction and the cortical reaction
- contact - the sperm contacts the eggs jelly coat
- acrosomal reaction - hydrolytic enzymes are released from the acrosome making a hole in the jelly coat. the acrosomal process protrudes from the sperm head, penetrates the jelly coat and binds to receptors in the egg plasma membrane
- contact and fusion of sperm and egg membranes - fusion triggers depolarization of the membrane which acts as a fast block to polyspermy
- cortical reaction - cortical granules fuse with the plasma membrane. the secreted contents clip off sperm binding receptors and cause the fertilization envelope to form. this acts as a slow block to polyspermy
- entry of the sperm nucleus
what does formation of the fertilization envelope require
high concentrations of calcium ions in the egg
what signal transduction pathway is activated when the sperm binds to the egg
- a signal transduction pathway that triggers the release of calcium ions into the cytosol from the ER
- the resulting increase in calcium ion concentration causes the cortical granules to fuse with the plasma membrane