NM6

Fertilisation, blastocyst, two layered embryo, notochord

Alice McGarvey
Department of Anatomy

Fertilisation

Menstrual cycle - the mature ova is shed into the peritoneal cavity and gathered into the fallopian tube
Oocyte = a large cell
Large cortical granules lie in the cytoplasm
1st polar body inside the acellular zona pellucida

 Spermatazoon - much smaller than the egg.

Genetic material is in the posterior head. Anterior head - acrosome contains digestive enzymes
Nucleus contains nuclear material - dehydrated
The neck - many mitochondria
The tail - motility

 Fertilisation usually in the ampulla of the fallopian tube

Only 200 - 500 of 200 - 500 million actually reach this point.
Capacitation - a process that occurs in the uterus (or test tube).
Rely on chance encounter
Passes through corona radiata cells
Adheres to the zona pellucida = a glycoprotein layer.
ZP3 - binding receptor for sperm

 Several sperm bind to the egg and digest way through Z.pellucida.
Usually only one sperm penetrates through and then engulfed by oocye.
Membrane depolarisation to prevent polyspermy.
Oocyte then completes meiosis 2
Maternal and paternal DNA - pronucleus, which fuse to form a single nucleus = zygote

Formation of morula and blastocyst

24-36 hours post fertilisation the zygote begins to divide.

Resulting cells get smaller and smaller as no net growth takes place = cleavage
3-4 days after = morula (mulberry). Still enclosed in the zona pellucida.
Now has made its way down fallopian tube to the uterus.
Approx. 4 days post fertilisation - 32 cells present
Space forms in morula

This stage of development = Blastocyst

Cavity is formed = blastocoel

Blastocyst emerges from the Z pellucida
2 different types of cells emerge

Trophectoderm / trophoblast - only extraembryonic membranes

Inner cell mass extraembryonic membranes & body of embryo itself

To summarise

Implantation & development of placenta

After blastocyst emerges from the zona pellucida it begins to adhere to the uterine wall. Exactly how is not known.
The inner cell mass is found near to the attachment site
2 types of cells develop from trophoblast syncytiotrophoblast - very invasive, eats into uterine wall & cytotrophoblast.
The blastocyst will sink completely into uterine wall.
Now gets nourishment from maternal tissue and grows rapidly.

At the same time

Inner cell mass undergoing great changes.
The cells differentiate into 2 main types.
Cells close to blastocyst cavity - hypoblast primitive endoderm, remaining cells epiblast/ primitive ectoderm.
As happened with the morula the cells develop uid lled cavities divided by a bilaminar disc = embryonic disc cells which form the embryo.

 The cells above the embryonic disc will form the amniotic membrane amniotic space, eventually surrounds embryo and provides uid for 9 months of pregnancy.
Meanwhile the hypoblast cells migrate around the inside of the blastocoele cavity. The uid lled cavity that develops here = primary yolk sac.

Development of main body axis

To establish where the head and tail lie & left from right.
13-14 days post fertilisation - primitive streak appears in the epiblast. A midline groove then develops in the streak. At the cranial end a distinct pit = primitive node appears.

 At the primitive node the process gastrulation is taking place - cells in the epiblast migrate into the groove, detach and drop off to lie between the epiblast and hypoblast layers. These cells form a new middle layer = mesoderm.
Now have trilaminar disc -

embryonic endoderm
embryonic mesoderm
embryonic ectoderm.

Gastrulation

Please refer to MOODLE Neuromuscular module learning resources.

These are the germ layers - characteristic set of tissues in the embryo and fetus

Embryonic ectoderm - all epidermis & nervous system

Endoderm - inner lining of the gastrointestinal tract.

These surfaces are continuous at the mouth and anal areas.
Mesoderm = stufng - bone, muscle, connective tissue
Try to imagine looking at an extremely primitive form of being with gut opened out (lleted) and attened.