spermatogenesis Flashcards
what are the two compartments of the seminiferous tubules
intratubular compartment peritubular compartment (interstitial space)
what cells surround the developing sperm
sertoli (sustentacular)
what is found in the interstitial space of the seminiferous tubules
Leydig cells
blood and lymph vessels
what is the purpose of the blood testis barrier
prevents immune reaction to spermatozoa
separates fluid of different composition
what are the 3 stages of sperm production
mitosis
meiosis
cell modeling (spermiogenesis)
how often does spermatogenesis happen
every 16 days
how often does the first mitotic division happen
every 74 days
what happens at the end of differentiation
cytoplasmic links broken
spermatozoa released into tubule lumen
sperm are virtually immobile
what does the acrosome contain
enzymes for fertilisation
what does the midpiece contain
mitochondria
where does spermatogenesis begin
basement membrane
how many spermatogonia do males have
finite number but can undergo mitosis indefinitely
where do spermatids go after production
fluid secreted by sertoli cells flushes them through from seminiferous tubules to rete testes to epididymis
at what point are the sperm able to move
when they reach the tail of the epididymis
what is capacitation
occurs in female genital tract
takes approx 4 hours
glycoprotein coat is stripped
this causes hyperactivation and head is able to initiate the acrosome reaction
what proportion of sperm must be normal in order for in vitro fertilisation to occur
15% at least
what is normal sperm count
50 -150 x10^6/ ml
i.e. approx 100 million
what sperm count is defined as sub fertile
fewer than 20 million
what proportion of sperm from a normal donor show abnormalities
30%