Early Embryonic Development

Angelico G. Reyes
 CAMPBELL BIOLOGY IN FOCUS
Urry • Cain • Wasserman • Minorsky • Jackson • Reece

36
Reproduction
and Development

Lecture Presentations by
Kathleen Fitzpatrick and Nicole Tunbridge

© 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.

Gametogenesis

Gametogenesis is the production of gametes

There is a close relationship between the structure
and function of the gonads

© 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.

 Human gametogenesis
Spermatogenesis Oogenesis

2n Primary 2n Primary
spermatocyte oocyte

n Polar
body
n n Secondary n Secondary
spermatocytes oocyte

n n n n Spermatids

n n n n Sperm

n Polar body

Fertilized
n egg
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 Epididymis
Seminiferous tubule

Testis
Primordial germ cell in embryo
Cross section of
seminiferous tubule Mitotic divisions

Spermatogonial 2n
stem cell
Sertoli cell
Mitotic divisions
nucleus
Spermatogonium 2n
Mitotic divisions

Primary spermatocyte 2n

Meiosis I

Secondary spermatocyte n n
Lumen of Meiosis II
seminiferous
tubule Spermatids Early n n n n
Tail Neck (two stages) spermatid
Differentiation
Plasma Midpiece Head (Sertoli cells
membrane provide nutrients)
Sperm cell n n n n
Acrosome
Nucleus
Mitochondria
© 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
 Epididymis
Seminiferous tubule
Spermatogonium
Sertoli cell
nucleus Primary
spermatocyte
Testis
Secondary
Cross section of spermatocyte
seminiferous tubule
Spermatids
(two stages)

Sperm cell
Lumen of
seminiferous tubule

© 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.

 Primordial germ cell in embryo
Mitotic divisions

Spermatogonial 2n
stem cell
Mitotic divisions
Spermatogonium 2n
Mitotic divisions

Primary spermatocyte 2n

Meiosis I

Secondary spermatocyte n n
Meiosis II

Early n n n n
spermatid
Differentiation
(Sertoli cells
provide nutrients)
Sperm cell n n n n

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 Tail Neck
Plasma Midpiece Head
membrane
Acrosome
Nucleus
Mitochondria

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 Ovary Primary oocyte
within follicle

In embryo Growing
follicle
Primordial germ cell
Mitotic divisions

Mature follicle
2n Oogonium

Mitotic divisions

Primary oocyte
2n (present at birth), arrested
in prophase of meiosis I
Ruptured
Completion of meiosis I follicle
and onset of meiosis II
First
polar n n Secondary oocyte,
body arrested at metaphase of Ovulated
meiosis II secondary oocyte
Ovulation, sperm entry

Second Completion of meiosis II Corpus luteum

polar n
body
n Fertilized egg
Degenerating
corpus luteum
© 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
 Ovary

Primary Ruptured
oocyte follicle
within
follicle
Ovulated
Growing secondary
follicle
oocyte

Mature
follicle
Corpus
luteum

Degenerating
corpus
luteum

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 In embryo
Primordial germ cell
Mitotic divisions

2n Oogonium

Mitotic divisions

Primary oocyte
2n (present at birth), arrested
in prophase of meiosis I

© 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.

 Completion of meiosis I
and onset of meiosis II
First
polar n n Secondary oocyte,
body arrested at metaphase of
meiosis II
Ovulation, sperm entry

Completion of meiosis II
Second
polar n
body
n Fertilized egg

© 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.

 Spermatogenesis, the development of sperm, is
continuous and prolific (millions of sperm are
produced per day); each sperm takes about 7 weeks
to develop
Oogenesis, the development of a mature egg, is a
prolonged process
Immature eggs form in the female embryo but do not
complete their development until years or decades
later

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 Spermatogenesis differs from oogenesis in three
ways
All four products of meiosis develop into sperm, while
only one of the four becomes an egg
Spermatogenesis occurs throughout adolescence and
adulthood
Sperm are produced continuously without the
prolonged interruptions in oogenesis

© 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.

Fertilization, cleavage, and gastrulation
initiate embryonic development
Across animal species, embryonic development
involves common stages occurring in a set order
First is fertilization, which forms a zygote
During the cleavage stage, a series of mitoses
divide the zygote into a many-celled embryo
The resulting blastula then undergoes
rearrangements into a three-layered embryo called
a gastrula

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 EMBRYONIC DEVELOPMENT
Sperm
Zygote

Adult Egg
frog

Metamorphosis Blastula

Larval Gastrula
stages

Tail-bud
embryo

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Fertilization

Molecules and events at the egg surface play a

crucial role in each step of fertilization
Sperm penetrate the protective layer around the egg
Receptors on the egg surface bind to molecules on
the sperm surface
Changes at the egg surface prevent polyspermy, the
entry of multiple sperm nuclei into the egg

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 Basal body
(centriole)

Sperm
head

Acrosome
Jelly coat
Sperm- Vitelline layer
binding Egg plasma membrane
receptors

© 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.

 Basal body
(centriole)

Sperm
head

Acrosome
Hydrolytic enzymes
Jelly coat
Vitelline layer
Sperm-
binding Egg plasma membrane
receptors

© 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.

 Sperm
nucleus Acrosomal
process
Basal body
(centriole)
Actin
Sperm filament
head

Acrosome
Hydrolytic enzymes
Jelly coat
Vitelline layer
Sperm-
binding Egg plasma membrane
receptors

© 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.

 Sperm plasma
membrane

Sperm
nucleus Acrosomal
process
Basal body
(centriole)
Actin
Sperm filament
head

Fused
plasma
membranes
Acrosome
Hydrolytic enzymes
Jelly coat
Vitelline layer
Sperm-
binding Egg plasma membrane
receptors

© 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.

 Sperm plasma
membrane

Sperm
nucleus Acrosomal
process
Basal body
(centriole)
Actin
Sperm filament
head
Cortical
Fused granule
plasma
membranes
Acrosome Perivitelline
Hydrolytic enzymes space
Jelly coat Fertilization
Vitelline layer
Sperm- envelope
binding Egg plasma membrane
receptors

© 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.

 The events of fertilization also initiate metabolic
reactions that trigger the onset of embryonic
development, thus “activating” the egg
Activation leads to events such as increased protein
synthesis that precede the formation of a diploid
nucleus
Sperm entry triggers a release of Ca2+, which
activates the egg and triggers the cortical reaction,
the slow block to polyspermy

© 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.

 1 Binding of sperm to egg
2 Acrosomal reaction: plasma membrane
3 depolarization (fast block to polyspermy)
Seconds 4
6
8
10 Increased intracellular calcium level
20 Cortical reaction (slow block to polyspermy)
30
40
50
1 Formation of fertilization envelope complete

2
3
4
5 Increased protein synthesis
Minutes

10

20 Fusion of egg and sperm nuclei complete

30
40 Onset of DNA synthesis
60
First cell division
90
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Cleavage and Gastrulation

Fertilization is followed by cleavage, a period of

rapid cell division without growth
Cleavage partitions the cytoplasm of one large cell
into many smaller cells
The blastula is a ball of cells with a fluid-filled cavity
called a blastocoel
The blastula is produced after about five to seven
cleavage divisions

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 50 m

(a) Fertilized egg (b) Four-cell stage (c) Early blastula (d) Later blastula

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 After cleavage, the rate of cell division slows
The remaining stages of embryonic development
are responsible for morphogenesis, the cellular and
tissue-based processes by which the animal body
takes shape

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 During gastrulation, a set of cells at or near the
surface of the blastula moves to an interior location,
cell layers are established, and a primitive digestive
tube forms
The hollow blastula is reorganized into a two- or
three-layered embryo called a gastrula

© 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.

 The cell layers produced by gastrulation are called
germ layers
The ectoderm forms the outer layer and the
endoderm the inner layer
In vertebrates and other animals with bilateral
symmetry, a third germ layer, the mesoderm,
forms between the endoderm and ectoderm

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 Animal
Blastocoel
pole
Mesenchyme cells

Vegetal plate
Vegetal
pole
Blastocoel

Filopodia

Archenteron
Mesenchyme cells

Blastopore 50 m
Key
Blastocoel
Future ectoderm
Future mesoderm Ectoderm Archenteron
Future endoderm Mouth Blastopore
Mesenchyme
(mesoderm forms Digestive tube (endoderm)
future skeleton) Anus (from blastopore)
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 Animal Future ectoderm
Blastocoel
pole Future mesoderm
Mesenchyme Future endoderm
cells
Vegetal plate
Vegetal
pole

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 Animal Future ectoderm
Blastocoel
pole Future mesoderm
Mesenchyme Future endoderm
cells
Vegetal plate Filopodia
Vegetal
pole

Archenteron

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 Animal Future ectoderm
Blastocoel
pole Future mesoderm
Mesenchyme Future endoderm
cells
Vegetal plate Filopodia
Vegetal
pole

Archenteron

Blastocoel
Archenteron
Blastopore

© 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.

 Animal Future ectoderm
Blastocoel
pole Future mesoderm
Mesenchyme Future endoderm
cells
Vegetal plate Filopodia
Vegetal
pole

Archenteron

Blastocoel
Ectoderm Archenteron
Mouth Blastopore
Mesenchyme
(mesoderm forms Digestive tube (endoderm)
future skeleton) Anus (from blastopore)
© 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
 Blastocoel

Filopodia

Archenteron
Mesenchyme
cells

Blastopore 50 m

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 Cell movements and interactions that form the germ
layers vary among species
One distinction is whether the mouth develops at the
first opening that forms in the embryo (protostomes)
or the second (deuterostomes)
Sea urchins and other echinoderms are
deuterostomes, as are chordates

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 Each germ layer contributes to a distinct set of
structures in the adult animal
Some organs and many organ systems derive from
more than one germ layer

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 ECTODERM (outer layer of embryo)

• Epidermis of skin and its derivatives (including sweat

glands, hair follicles)
• Nervous and sensory systems
• Pituitary gland, adrenal medulla
• Jaws and teeth
• Germ cells

MESODERM (middle layer of embryo)

• Skeletal and muscular systems

• Circulatory and lymphatic systems
• Excretory and reproductive systems (except germ cells)
• Dermis of skin
• Adrenal cortex

ENDODERM (inner layer of embryo)

• Epithelial lining of digestive tract and associated

organs (liver, pancreas)
• Epithelial lining of respiratory, excretory, and reproductive tracts
and ducts
• Thymus, thyroid, and parathyroid glands
© 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
Early Embryonic Development
Angelico G. Reyes