Module AEP
First Week
of Pregnancy
Prof. Dalia Saleh Contact Information
meteor_381@[Link]
Mobile (Optional)
Academic Hours : ( Monday: 10:00-11:00 am)
( Wednesday: 10:00-11:00 am)
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this lecture, the
students should be able to:
Identify the steps of capacitation & acrosomal reaction
Identify the steps of fertilization
Define the normal & abnormal fertilization
Know the steps of blastocyst formation
Case Scenario
A woman has had several bouts of pelvic inflammatory
disease and now wants to have children. However, she
has been having difficulty becoming pregnant.
Outcome
Learning 1
Capacitation and acrosomal reaction
• Sperms cannot fertilize the oocytes when they are newly ejaculated.
• Capacitation = the sperm becomes ready for fertilization.
• The process of capacitation takes 5-7 hrs.
• It takes place at the female genital tract (cervix).
• The acrosomal reaction cannot occur until capacitation is completed.
• Removal of adherent proteins from the seminal fluid.
• Reorganization of the plasma membrane over the head region.
• The sperm becomes more active and motile.
• Semen is ejaculated and deposited into the vagina.
• Number of sperms from 200 – 600 million.
• One sperm is only needed for fertilization.
• The rest of the sperms will die inside the female genital
tract.
• The sperm secrets enzymes from its acrosome
• These enzymes help it to penetrate egg coats
• For example:
• Hyaluronidase ➔ disperse corona radiate cells.
• Trypsin like ➔ digest ZP
• Zona lysin ➔ softens the ZP
Outcome
Learning 2
Steps of fertilization
• Egg coats penetration.
• Egg activation.
• Cortical reaction.
• Zona pellucida reaction.
• Union of the pronuclei.
• Results of fertilization.
• Abnormal fertilization.
Egg Coats Penetration
Cumulus oophorus & Corona radiata:
• The sperm penetrates them through secretion of hyaluronidase enzyme
Zona pellucida:
• The sperm secretes zona lysin that digest zona pellucida layer
Egg cell membrane:
• The sperm binds to the plasma membrane of the oocyte.
• The male nucleus enters inside the oocyte cytoplasm leaving the cell
membrane behind.
Egg Activation
• Before fertilization, the oocyte was arrested in 2nd meiotic
division.
• Upon binding with the sperm:
• The oocyte completes the 2nd meiotic division ➔ ova and 2nd polar
body
• Each contains 23 chromosomes and 1n DNA
Cortical Reaction
• It is liberation of cortical granules from the oocyte after
sperm penetration.
• Cortical granules contain a mixture of enzymes.
• These enzymes change the structure of the ZP, inducing
what is known as the zona reaction.
Zona Reaction
• To block polyspermy.
• The zona pellucida hardens.
• Sperm receptors in the zona pellucida are destroyed.
Union of Pronuclei
• Immediately after fertilization, the nuclear envelope of both
the sperm and ovum disappear.
• Zygote is formed of 46 chromosomes.
• Starts mitotic division.
Outcome
Learning 3
Normal & abnormal fertilization
Results of fertilization
• Completion of 2nd meiotic division.
• Restoration of diploid number of chromosomes.
• Sex determination.
• Zygot formation ➔ starts cell division
Abnormal fertilization
Superfecundation:
• Fecundity: the state of being fertile; capable of producing offspring
• Superfecundation: fertilization of two or more ova released during
the same menstrual cycle by sperms from separate acts of coitus
Parthenogenesis (virgin birth)
• Growth and development of an embryo without fertilization by a male!
• It occurs naturally in some plants, invertebrates and some fish
• The offspring are all-female
Abnormal fertilization
Triploidy:
• Occurs when there is double fertilization of an
ovum (dispermy).
• This results in zygot with 69 chromosomes (3n).
• The extra set of chromosomes results in the
formation of different anomalies, syndactyly
Outcome
Learning 4
Blastocyst formation
• Cleavage
• Morula
• Blastocyst
• Hatching
• Implantation
Cleavage
• Cleavage occurs with no cytoplasm synthesis, so the divided cells get
smaller (2 → 4 → 8 → 16……).
• Each is called a blastomere.
• Zona pellucida is still intact (division occurs within it).
Morula
• Formed at day 3
• It is a solid ball of cells up to 16-32 cells against
zona pellucida.
• Swept to the uterus by the cilia of the tube.
• Small cavities appear between the cells → leading
to the next stage of development.
Blastocyst
• Formed at day 4.
• Reaches uterine cavity.
• It has:
• 2 identifiable cell types (trophoblasts and
embryoblasts)
• A fluid-filled cavity (blastocoel)
Blastocyst
• Trophoblast (outer cell layer)
• Peripheral flattened cells
• Forms the placenta and placental membranes
• Inner cell mass (Embryoblast)
• Rounded cells
• Located on one wall of the blastocoel
• Forms the entire embryo
Blastocyst Hatching
• Zona pellucida degenerates from sperm entry site,
and the entire zona pellucida breaks down by the
uterine and the blastula secretions.
• Now the blastocyst is ready for implantation by the
end of week 1.
Case Scenario Explanation
• The repeated pelvic inflammation will cause fibrosis and the fimbriae of
the uterine tube will stick together or block the tube.
• Picking up of the ova and sperm transport might be difficult and this
results into no fertilization or ectopic pregnancy
• 1st week of Human Development (Days 1–7)
• The following events take place during the 1st week of
development
Summary & Wrap up
I. Fertilization
II. Cleavage
III. Blastocyst Formation
IV. Implantation
The usual site of fertilization is the ampulla of the uterine
tube
The fertilization process takes place approximately 24 hours
For sperms to pass through the corona radiata, they must Summary & Wrap up
have been capacitated (removal of the glycoprotein coat
and seminal plasma proteins from the plasma membrane
that overlies the acrosomal region of the spermatozoa)
Questions
Question 1 Question 2
Answer Answer
………………………………………………………………...
2 ………………………………………………………………...
1
3
Question 3
Answer
………………………………………………………………...
4 Question 4
Answer
………………………………………………………………...
One of the following processes is responsible for preventing a second sperm to enter the
fertilized ovum:
A. Capacitation.
B. Segmentation.
C. Acrosomal reaction
D. Cortical reaction.
E. Gastrulation.
Answer is: D
Each individual cell in the morula is referred to as a:
A. Blastomere
B. Amnion
C. Chorion
D. Zygote
E. Blastocyte
Answer is: A
Capacitation of the sperm:
A. Removal of the head of the sperm.
B. Is essential for fertilization.
C. Prevents polyspermy.
D. Occurs inside the male genital system.
E. Is triggered by the zona pellucida.
Answer is: B
References
General Embryology Department Book
Langman’s medical embryology