Week 4- Cancer and Imaging Flashcards
What is embryology?
The study of development of an embryo from the stage of fertilisation until the fetal stage
What are the three stages of life before birth and give their timings?
Preimplantation stage- week 1
Embryonic stage/ Organogenesis- weeks 2-8
Fetal stage- week 8-40
Give a summary of events of week 1 of an embryo
Fertilised embryo (oocyte egg + sperm)
Embryo undergoes cleavage divisions
Cells compact against each other to form morula
Blastocyst forms and first signs of differentiation occur
Blastocyst hatches out of the zona pellucida
When is a zyogte formed?
When an oocyte (egg) comes into contact and is fertilised by a sperm in the uterine tube
What is cleavage?
A process of cell division
Occurs when the zygote starts to develop and the maternal and paternal pro-nuclei fuse together to form the embryonic genome
What happens to the size of a cell during cleavage and why?
Overall size of the cell remains the same but cells within the embryo get smaller
Cell is dividing but has to remain small enough to passage down the narrowest part of the uterine tube called the isthmus
What is the name of the coating around an embryo and what is its role?
Zona Pellucida
Tough glycoprotein coat
Prevents premature implantation and regulates the size of the embryo
What is the morula and when does it occur?
A cluster of cells that are maximising contact and held together by tight junctions
Approx 4 days after fertilisation
What are the first two key features of cellular differentiation in an embryo?
Inner cell mass
Outer cells trophoblast
What does the inner cell membrane go on to form?
Embryo and extraembryonic tissues
What does the outer cell trophoblast go onto form?
The placenta
What occurs in the embryo as it enters the uterine cavity?
Fluid enters via the zona pellucida into spaces of inner cell mass and a fluid filled blastocyst cavity forms
Briefly describe the process of hatching
Blastocyst begins to run out of nutrients as the only source of nutrition are fluid in uterine tube and uterus
ICM cells undergo proliferation and fluid builds up in the cavity causing pressure to build up
Pressure increases and the blastocyst hatches from the zona pellucida and facilitates implantation
Trophoblast cells make contact with uterine lining, attach and implant
What is implantation?
The interaction between the embryo and the endometrial layer of the uterus
Where does decidualisation occur and when?
Stromal cells of the uterus
When the blastocyst makes contact with the endometrium of the uterus
What does decidualisation form?
The maternal component of the placenta
What does the process of decidualisation result in?
Several changes in endometrium to prepare it for pregnancy
Process triggers the production of several molecules and promotes trophoblast cells to become invasive
What are the two layers of trophoblast cells formed in differentiation and where are they located?
Cytotrophoblast- single layer of cells closest to the inside of the embryo
Syncytiotrophoblast- outer invasive layer and is a syncytium of cells
What does it mean for a structure to be a syncytium?
a single cell or cytoplasmic mass containing several nuclei, formed by fusion of cells or by division of nuclei.
What are the two layers the inner cell mass forms?
Epiblast
Hypoblast
What are the two layers of the ICM collectively known as?
Bilaminar disc
What is a key process that occurs at the end of week 2 of an embryo’s life?
Implanting syncytiotrophoblast cells communicate with maternal side of placenta and begin to establish a connection to enable diffusion of oxygen, waste and nutrients via blood supply
What is the hormone present in early pregnancy and what is its role?
Human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG)
Induces a stable blood vessel connection between the mother and foetus and promotes overall maternal recognition of pregnancy
What is a key histological feature of endometrium cells during implantation and why?
Enlarged and elongated at the site closest to implantation
Due to decidualisation
What is a result of an abnormal implantation?
Ectopic pregnancy
Name the 4 extra-embryonic membranes
Amnion
Chorion
Yolk sac
Allantois
Where is the amnion located, what is its structure and what is its role?
Continuous with the epiblast of the bilaminar disc
Lines a structure called the amniotic cavity which is filled with fluid and acts to protect the developing embryo
When is the amnion present until?
Birth
Where is the chorion located, what is its structure and what is its role?
Double layered membrane formed by the the trophoblast and extra embryonic membranes
Lines a chorionic cavity and forms the fetal component of the placenta
Where is the yolk sac located, what is its structure and what is its role?
Continuous with the hypoblast of the bilaminar disk
Important in nutrient transfer
Important in blood cell formation and formation of the gut
When is the yolk sac present until?
Week 20
When is the chorion present until?
Dissappears when the amniotic expands
What is gastrulation?
A process of cell division and migration resulting in the formation of three germ layers
When does gastrulation occur?
Week 3- formation of the trilaminar embryo from the bilaminar epiblast
What are the three layers of the trilaminar embryo from most superficial?
Ectoderm
Mesoderm
Endoderm
What are three important structures in the trilaminar embryo?
Primitive streak
Notochord
Neural tube
Which end of an embryo is the primitive streak located at?
Tail end
What does the primitive streak show and where does it migrate?
Beginning of gastrulation
First appears at tail end of embryo and grows towards future head
What is the primitive node?
A thickened area of cells at the end of the primitive streak creating a bulge
Describe process of gastrulation
Invagination process
Primitive streak encourages migratation of cells of epiblast towards
Reach primitive streak cells move down through the embryo, pushing down and out to side to create mesoderm
Some cells move futrher down and push past the hypoblast creating endoderm
Cells left on top where epiblast was creates ectoderm
What does the ectoderm go on to produce?
Outside structures such as brain, epidermis, teeth and sensory receptors
What does the mesoderm go on to produce?
Muscles and bones, structural features such as the muscoskeletal system
What does the endoderm go on to produce?
Formation of the gut eg. GI tract and other things involved in digestion
What colours are layers of the embryo given in diagrams?
Ectoderm- blue
Mesoderm- red
Endoderm- yellow
What is a teratoma?
A type of tumour with tissue or organ components resembling derivatives of germ layers
What can teratomas be derived from?
Germ cells, oocytes or embryonal stem cells
Where are germ cell teratomas usually identified?
Gonads
What is the definition of cell cycle?
The interval between two successive mitotic divisions resulting in the production of two daughter cells, with chromosomes identical to the parent cell.
What are the two broad phases of the cell cycle?
Interphase
Mitotic phase/ cytokinesis
What are the 3 sub phases of interphase?
G1
Synthesis
G2
What occurs during G1?
Cells grow back towards their optimum size after cytokinesis
Monitoring external environment for optimal conditions for cell division- presence of growth factors
RNA and protein synthesis occurring in preparation for S phase
What occurs in S phase?
Synthesis of DNA
What occurs in G2?
Further growth of cell
Cell organelle replication
Preparation for mitosis
What are the phases of mitosis?
Prophase
Prometaphase
Metaphase
Anaphase
Telophase
What occurs in prophase?
Chromatin condensation (chromatin shortens, thickens and resolves into recognisable chromosomes)
Nucleolus disappears
Centrioles move to poles (parallel microtubules assembled between them to create the mitotic spindle)
What occurs in prometaphase?
Nuclear membrane dissolves
Chromosomes attach to spindle microtubules and begin moving
What occurs in metaphase?
Spindle fibres align the chromosomes along the middle of the metaphase plate
What occurs in anaphase?
Paired chromosomes separate and move to opposite sides of the cell
What occurs in telophase?
Chromatids arrive at opposite poles of cell
New membranes form around daughter nuclei
Chromosomes decondense
Spindle fibres disperse
What occurs in cytokinesis?
Cleavage of cells to produce daughter cells
What is G0?
The phase when cells are not actively dividing
What is another term for G0?
Quiesence
What is the typical length of the cell cycle broken down into each phase?
24 hrs
G- 11 hours, S- 8 hours, G2- 4 hours, M- 1 hour
Why is regulation of the cell cycle important?
To prevent uncontrolled cell growth and to ensure DNA replication is checked for harmful mutations
What is a CDK?
Cyclin dependent kinase
What does it mean for a CDK to be a serine/ threonine kinase?
A kinase that phosphorylates other proteins on either serine or threonine in a target protein
What is the CDK present abundantly in G1?
CDK46- cyclin D
What is the CDK most abundant in S?
CDK2- Cyclin E
What is the CDK most abundantly present in G2?
CDK2-Cyclin A
What is the CDK most abundant in the early stages of mitosis? What is its alternative name?
CDK1- cyclin B
What regulates CDK activity?
Cyclins
Whether they are themselves phosphorylated or not
CKIs
What are cyclins?
Activator proteins that are up or down regulated depdning on the phase of the cell cycle
How is a cyclin activated?
Associated with CDK
What is a CKI?
Cyclin dependent kinase inhibitor
What are the two main ways CKIs work?
Forming an inactive complex or acting as a competitive ligand