Spermatogenesis Flashcards
what is a sperm called when it is in the shape of a round cell?
spermatid
what is a sperm called when it is elongated with a tail?
spermatozoa
how long does it take to produce sperm?
57-60 days
why does FSH appear in lower spikes than LH?
it has a longer half life, so don’t need as much as it will stay in the system longer on its own
what does an LH spike cause?
a rise in testosterone
why does LH only appear in spikes as opposed to continuous release?
LH receptors in Leydig cells will become desensitized to LH if it is constantly released
give the 4 steps of the male feedback loop, including 3-4A and 3-4B
- GnRH release from hypothalamus (tonic only)
- release of FSH and LH from anterior pituitary
3A. FSH targets sertoli cells to:
-promote spermatogenesis
-produce inhibin
-produce ABP
4A. inhibin has negative feedback effect on anterior pituitary
3B. LH targets Leydig cells to produce testosterone, which can diffuse into sertoli cells and bind to ABP, or is converted to E2, which will have negative feedback on the hypothalamus and anterior pituitary
4B. testosterone can go into circulation and cause negative feedback on ant pit and hypothalamus
list the 3 main phases of spermatogenesis
- spermatocytogenesis
- meiotic phase
- spermiogenesis/differentiation
what is spermatocytogenesis also called?
the proliferative phase
what happens during spermatocytogenesis?
mitosis, the replication of spermatogonia
what do spermatogonia become during the meiotic phase?
primary spermatocytes that become secondary spermatocytes which become round spermatids
how many phases are there in spermiogenesis?
4
are there any cell divisions in spermiogenesis?
nope
what shift takes place during spermiogenesis?
morphological shift from round spermatid to specialized spermatozoa
how many chromatids are in primary spermatocytes?
4, 4C
how many chromatids are in spermatogonia?
2, 2C
how many chromatids are in secondary spermatocytes?
2, 2C
what is the first haploid version of a sperm cell and how many chromatids does it have?
round spermatid 1C
how long does the whole spermatogenesis process take?
about 61 days
describe Type A and Type B spermatogonia
Type A: stay behind to make more generations, keep undergoing regular mitosis
Type B: enter meiotic phase to become spermatozoa
how many mitotic divisions to spermatogonia undergo to become primary spermatocytes?
species dependent! anywhere from 2-6 divisions, yielied 4 to 64 potential daughter cells
what forms between daughter cells undergoing mitosis?
cytoplasmic bridges
list 5 things that cause/increase/effect apoptosis of germ cells
- season: seasonally reproductive animals like rams lower in spring and summer
- disease
- trauma or heat
- hormone levels
- normal part of spermatogenesis
list the 2 purposes of stem cell renewal as it relates to spermatogenesis
- to keep spermatogenesis going indefinitely
2. replenish testis in case of injury, trauma, or high heat
what happens in spermiogenesis? big thing here
round spermatids become elongated spermatozoa
what is the first step of spermiogenesis?
the golgi phase
list the 4 steps of spermiogenesis
- the golgi phase
- cap phase
- acrosomal phase
- maturation phase
what happens in the golgi phase of spermiogenesis? (3)
- golgi apparatus migrates to anterior end of sperm head
- centrioles migrate to posterior end
- golgi apparatus secretes acrosomic vesicle, which will become the acrosome
what happens to the proximal centriole during the golgi phase of spermiogenesis?
it becomes the implantation socket