Spermatogenesis and Spermiogenesis Flashcards
What are found in between the seminiferous tubules?
Peritubular compartments (leydig cells found here)
What are the 2 major compartments of the testes?
- Seminiferous tubules
- Interstitial spaces
Why are the seminiferous tubules and interstial spaces seperate?
Create a blood-testis barrier
- Prevents immune reaction to spermatozoa
- Separates fluids of different composition
What do the interstitial spaces contain?
- Leydig cells
- Blood and lymph vessels
Where is the blood-testis barrier made?
Formed through interactions between tight junctions, zonular junctions and filament bundles between neighbouring sertoli cells, spermatogonia reside on one side of the blood-testis barrier, as development procedes it travels through it
What are the 3 stages to produce a mature spermatozoa?
- Mitotic proliferation
- Meiotic divisions
- Cell modeling (spermiogenesis)
What are the undifferentiated germ cells called which spermatozoa are derived from?
Primordial germ cells
What are the names of all the cells from primordial germ cell to spermatozoa?
- Primordial germ cell
- Spermatogonia
- Primary spermatocyte
- Secondary spermatocyte
- Spermatid
- Spermatozoa
What does the primary spermatocyte do?
Enters meiosis 1
How long is the spermatogenic cycle?
~ 74 days (from 1st mitotic division to release of spermatozoa)
How many days does it usually take to initiate spermatogenesis?
16 days (occurs in waves)
How long does it take for the spermatogonium to develop into the primary spermatocyte?
25 days
How long does the meiotic division 1 take (primary to secondary spermatocyte)?
9 days
How long does it take for the secondary spermatocyte to develop into a spermatozoa?
21 days
What is spermiogenesis?
Process that remodells the spermatid into the spermatozoa, during this period where the sperm develops the machinary required for sperm motility
How much sperm is made in 1 day roughly?
200 million
What structures surround the middle piece?
Sheathes of ring shaped mitochondria
What is the acrosome fprmed by?
The golgi
What does fluid secreted by sertoli cells do?
Flushes spermatozoa from seminiferous tubules, through the rete testis into the epididymis:
- Capacity for motility by the time they reach the tail of the epididymis
- Motility is suppressed by epididymal fluid
- Instead movement through reproductive tract is aided by perstaltic muscle contractions