EMBRYOLOGY LECTURE 1

CELL DIVISIONS AND GAMETOGENESIS

Lecture plan
Defnition of embryology
Cell i!i"ion"# mito"i"$meio"i"
Gametogene"i"#
%oogene"i"$"permatogene"i"&

Embryology is the study of the origin and develoment of an
organism! "n humans# develoment starts $hen an egg %oo&yte'
from female and a serm %sermato(oa' from male unite and
give rise to a ne$ organism# the (ygote in a ro&ess is &alled
fertili(ation!

Cell i!i"ion# t'o type" of cell i!i"ion"

Mitoti& division) the &ell divides and give rise to t$o daughter
&ells $ith same number of &hromosomes as the mother &ell
Meioti& division) &ell divides and give rise to * daughter &ells
$ith half number of &hromosomes and half +,- material
Mitotic i!i"ion#fg()
Before the &ell enters mitosis# ea&h &hromosome doubles its
+,- and forms t$o c*romati"! The &hromosomes be&ome
long and are $idely sread in the &ytolasm
.tages of mitosis
+,O+-ASE. /hen mitosis begins# the &hromosomes
begin to &oil# &ontra&t and &ondense
META+-ASE( The &hromosomes line u in the e0uatorial
lane
ANA+-ASE( Ea&h &hromosome undergoes a longitudinal
division of the &etromere and give rise to t$o daughter
&hromosomes! The daughter &hromosomes begins to
migrate to$ards the oosite oles of the &ell
TELO+-ASE( The daughter &hromosomes are at the
oosite oles of the &ell! The &hromosomes un&oil and
lenghthen# and the &ell &ytolasm divide and gives rise to
t$o daughter &ells
DA/G-TE, CELL. Ea&h daughter &ell has same number of
&hromosomes as the mother &ell!
fg()
Meiotic i!i"ion"#fg(0
The germ &ells reli&ate their +,- before the
&ommen&ement of meioti& division 1ust li2e in mitoti&
division
3urose) 1# to allo$ e4&hange of geneti& materials
bet$een homologous &hromosomes and 5# to redu&e to
half %56' the number of &hromosomes and +,- material
1ir"t meiotic i!i"ion
+urpo"e ) to allo$ e4&hange of geneti& material
Before the 1
st
meioti& begin# the germ &ell reli&ates its
+,- as in mitoti&
There is airing of homologous &hromosomes in a ro&ess
&alled "ynap"e" $hi&h is e4a&t and oint to oint# e4&et
for 78Y &ombination!
The homologous air &ontains * &hromatids sin&e ea&h
&hromosome is double stru&tured &ontaining 5 &hromatids
There is e4&hange of &hromatids segments bet$een the
aired homologous &hromosomes! The oint of
inter&hange is 2no$n as the &hiasma! They then slit
longitudinally# having e4&hanged blo&2s of geneti&
materials# and ea&h &hromosome migrate to$ard oosite
oles of the &ell!
Ea&h of the t$o daughter &ells has 56 double8stru&tured
&hromosomes and &ontains one member of ea&h
&hromosome air! The daughter &ell has the same amount
of +,- as normal &ell be&ause ea&h &hromosome is still
double8stru&tured!
Secon meiotic i!i"ion
+urpo"e) to redu&e to half %56' the number of
&hromosomes and +,- amount
0
n
meiotic division starts immediately after the end of 1
st
meioti& division and no duli&ation of +,- material
The 56 double 8stru&ture &hromosomes divides at the
&etromere and ea&h daughter &ell re&eive 56 &hromatids!
The +,- no$ is half that of somati& &ell
Therefore# a germ &ell is formed $ith haloid number of
&hromosomes and half amount of +,-
,e"ult"
"n females# one germ &ell gives rise to * daughter &ells#
and ea&h has 55 9 1 2 &hromosomes! Only one out of the
* matures into a gamete %tertiary oo&yte'! The rest 6
be&ome olar
"n male# one germ &ell give rise to * daughter &ells and all
develo into mature gametes! T$o daughter &ells &ontains
5591 78 &hromosomes # and the other t$o &ontains 5591
Y8&hromosomes
T*ing" may go 'rong uring meiotic i!i"ion#
Abnormalitie"
+uring the searation of homologous &hromosomes in the
:rst meioti& division# ea&h daughter &ell is suosed to
re&eive one &omonent of ea&h air! .ometimes
searation does not o&&ur %nondis1u&tion' and both
members of a air move to one &ell! The result is that one
&ell re&eives 5* &hromosomes and the other 55
&hromosomes! Then# $hen a gamete $ith 56
&hromosomes fuses $ith a gamete $ith 5* &hromosomes#
the result is a &ell $ith *; &hromosomes )trisomy! Eg
+o$ns syndrome is trisomy 51! - gamete $ith 56
&hromosomes fuses $ith a gamete $ith 55 &hromosomes
&hromosomes) monosomy
The nondis1u&tion &an also o&&ur during the 5
nd
meioti&
division
fg(0
GAMETOGENESIS# 1O,MATION O1 MALE AND 1EMALE
GAMETES 1,OM +,IMO,DIAL GE,M CELLS
+uring the ro&ess the gametes undergo &hromosomal
and morhologi&al &hanges in rearation for fertili(ation
The normal body %somati&' &ell has *< &hromosomes ) 56
airs! One &hromosome of ea&h air from mother and the
other from the father!
3rimordial germ &ells have *< &hromosomes
Germ &ells undergo &hanges in order to form gamete! =irst# the
number of &hromosomes is redu&ed to half %56') meioti&
division! .e&ond# there is alteration in shae! The female germ
&ell in the ovary be&omes larger as its &ytolasm in&reases! The
male germ &ell in the testis be&omes smaller as it loose a lot of
&ytolasm and develos a head# ne&2# tail!

OOGENESIS# =ormation of female gametes) the maturation
ro&ess from rimitive germ &ell to mature gamete %tertiary
oo&yte'):g!*
3efore birt*#+renatal
3rimordial germ &ells are formed in the eiblast during the
se&ond $ee2 and aear in the $all of yol2 sa& at the end
of the 6rd $ee2! =ig!6
3rimordial germ &ells from the $all of yol2 sa& migrate to
the develoing ovaries $here they arrive in the :fth
$ee2>
th
$ee2 and di?erentiate into oogonia( These &ells
undergo a number of mitoti& divisions and by end 6
rd

month# they are arranged in &lusters and are surrounded
by @at eithelial &ells!
Ma1ority of oogonia &ontinue $ith mitoti& division $hile
some di?erentiate into mu&h larger primary oocy"t( The
rimary oo&yst reli&ates their +,- and enters the
rohase of the 1
st
meioti& division# and they are
surrounded individually by @at eithelial &ells! - rimary
oo&yte# together $ith its surrounding @at eithelial &ells is
2no$n as a primorial follicle!
Mitoti& division &ontinues and by >
th
month of
develoment# the total number of germ &ells rea&hes its
ma4imum estimated at ; million! Then &ells degeneration
%atresia' starts# for both oogonia and rimary oo&yst! By
;
th
month# ma1ority of oogonia have degenerated and the
surviving rimary oo&ytes have entered the rohase of
the 1
st
meioti& division! Ao$ever# they donBt ro&eed into
the metahase but# rather they enter into a resting hase
during rohase &alled ictyotene "tage!
1ig(4
AT 3I,T- AND A1TE,# po"tnatal
-t birth# all rimary oo&ytes have :nished the rohase of the
1
st
meioti& division! +rimary oocyte" remain in prop*a"e
an o not fni"* t*eir fr"t meiotic i!i"ion before
puberty i" reac*e! Their number is estimated at C!; to 5
millions! +uring &hildhood# ma1ority of the rimary oo&ytes
degenerate and at uberty# their number is aro4imately
*C#CCC!
/ith the onset of uberty# %1' a number of rimordial
folli&les begin to mature $ith ea&h ovarian &y&le and %5'#
the rimary oo&ytes &omlete their :rst meioti& division!
The rimary oo&yte# still in di&tyotene stage in&reases in
si(e $hile the surrounding @at eithelial &ells# the folli&ular
&ells &hange from @at to &uboidal! The folli&le is no$
&alled the primary follicle( The rimary oo&yte is initially
in intimate &onta&t $ith the surrounding follicular cell"
but later# a layer of a&ellular material &alled 5ona
pellucia develos "n bet$een the folli&ular &ells and the
rimary oo&yst!
-s gro$th &ontinues# the folli&ular &ells roliferate# forming
a thi&2 &ellular layer around the oo&yte! "n bet$een
folli&ular &ells# @uid :lled &avities are formed $hi&h later
&oales&e to form one big &avity) follicular antrum! The
folli&ular &ells that remain surrounding the oo&yte are
2no$n as &umulus oohorus! - mature folli&le is &alled
tertiary or !e"icular follicle( "t is surrounded by t$o
layers of &onne&tive tissuesD an outer :brous layer &alled
t*eca e6terna7 and an inner layer &alled t*eca interna7
$hi&h is ri&h in blood vessels!
/ith ea&h ovarian &y&le# a number of folli&les begin to
develo but only one rea&hes maturity $hile the other
degenerate! -s soon as the folli&le is mature# the rimary
oo&yte resumes its :rst meioti& division! The results are 5
daughter &ells) %i'se&ondary oo&yte# $hi&h re&eive almost
all the &ytolasm# and %ii'the olar body# $hi&h hardly
re&eive any &ytolasm! The se&ondary oo&yte is shed from
the ovary and it $ill only &omlete its 5
nd
meioti& division
if it is fertilised# other$ise it degenerates aro4imately 5*
hours after ovulation!
fg(89 OOGENESIS
S+E,MATOGENESIS# the maturation ro&ess from rimordial
germ &ell to mature male gametes8:g!>
fg(:
The rimordial germ &ells in males migrate to the se4
&ords of the testis and they donBt di?erentiate until
uberty unli2e in females $here di?erentiation begins in
the third month! -t birth# the germ &ells &an be re&ognised
and are surrounded by suortive &ells# $hi&h later
be&omes the "un"tentacular or "ertoli cell"(
.hortly before uberty# the se4 &ord a&0uires a lumen and
be&omes the "eminiferou" tubule"( -t the same time#
the rimordial germ &ells give rise to "permatogonia!
.ermatogonia di?erentiate into primary
"permatocyte"! The rimary sermato&ytes reli&ate
their +,- and then enter the rohase of the 1
st
meioti&
division! The rohase lasts about 1< days# and then the
follo$ing hases are &omleted and t$o "econary
"permatocyte" are formed! Ea&h of these &ells enter the
5
nd
meioti& division and results in rodu&tion of t$o
sermatids!
Spermiogene"i"# con!er"ion of "permati to
"permato5oa
The sermatid undergoes series of &hanges $hi&h results
in rodu&tion of the sermato(oa! The &hanges in&ludeD
formation of a&rosome# &ondensation of nu&leus#
formation of ne&2# body# tail# shedding of most of
&ytolasm! "t ta2es aro4imately <1 days for a
sermatogonia to develo into a sermato(oa!
/hen fully formed# sermato(oa are ushed from
seminiferous tubules and are stored in the eididymis
$here they are &aa&itated)be&ome motile!
-bnormal sermato(oa are often seenD giant# d$arf#
deformed head# tail# sometimes 1oined! "f abnormality
a?e&ts more than 5>E of sermato(oa# fertility is usually
imaired!
Events o&&urring during the :rst and se&ond maturation divisions! A( The
rimitive female germ &ell %rimary oo&yte' rodu&es only one mature gamete#
the mature
oo&yte! 3( The rimitive male germ &ell %rimary sermato&yte' rodu&es four
sermatids#
all of $hi&h develo into sermato(oa!
,eference
=oundations of Embryology# 1st ed!# Carlson %1FFG'# ,e$ Yol2
-n introdu&tion to embryology# B!" balins2y# .auder College
Te4t boo2 for medi&al embryologyH ,ormal and -bnormal
develoment# 1sr ed# =! =asana %5CCG'# ILB# ,RB
Longmans medi&al embryology# <
th
ed# T!/! sadler %1FFC'#
3atterns8Bru&e M# M&Gra$ Aill
E resour&es8 httHJJ$$$!med!un&!eduJembryoimages