A Beginning

The
beginning…
• Human fertilization is the union of a human egg
and sperm, usually occurring in the
ampulla of the uterine tube. The result of this
union is the production of a new individual of the
human species (homo sapiens), complete with a
unique set of the 23 pairs of chromosomes that
genetically specify a human organism, the
sperm and the egg each providing 23, for a total
of 46 chromosomes. It is also the initiation of
prenatal development. Scientists discovered the
dynamics of human fertilization in the nineteenth
century
• The process of fertilization involves a
sperm fusing with an ovum—usually
following ejaculation during
sexual intercourse.Upon encountering the
ovum, the acrosome of the sperm produces
enzymes which allow it to burrow through
the outer jelly coat of the egg. The sperm
plasma then fuses with the egg's plasma
membrane, the sperm head disconnects
from its flagellum and the egg travels down
the Fallopian tube to reach the uterus.
Anatomy
• Corona radiata : The egg and the sperm

bind through the corona radiata, a layer of
follicle cells on the outside of the
secondary oocyte. Fertilization occurs
when the nuclei of a sperm and an egg
fuse. The successful fusion of gametes
form a new organism.
• Cone of attraction and Vitelline membrane:
Where the spermatozoon is about to
pierce, the yolk (ooplasm) is drawn out
into a conical elevation, termed the cone
of attraction. Once the spermatozoon has
entered, the peripheral portion of the yolk
changes into a membrane, the vitelline
membrane, which prevents the passage of
additional spermatozoa
• Acrosome reaction:The acrosome
reaction must occur to mobilise
enzymes within the head of the
spermatozoon to degrade the zona
pellucida. example: hyaluronidase.
• Zona pellucida:After binding to the corona radiata
the sperm reaches the zona pellucida, which is an
extra-cellular matrix of glycoproteins. A special
complementary molecule on the surface of the
sperm head binds to a ZP2 glycoprotein in the zona
pellucida. This binding triggers the acrosome to
burst, releasing enzymes that help the sperm get
through the zona pellucida. Some sperm cells
consume their acrosome prematurely on the
surface of the egg cell, facilitating the penetration
by other sperm cells. As a population, sperm cells
have on average 50% genome similarity so the
premature acrosomal reactions aid fertilization by a
member of the same cohort.It may be regarded as a
mechanism of kin selection.
• Recent studies have shown that the egg is not
passive during this process
• Cortical reaction:Once the sperm cells find
their way past the zona pellucida, the
cortical reaction occurs: cortical granules
inside the secondary oocyte fuse with the
plasma membrane of the cell, causing
enzymes inside these granules to be expelled
by exocytosis to the zona pellucida. This in
turn causes the glyco-proteins in the zona
pellucida to cross-link with each other—that
is, the enzymes cause the ZP2 to hydrolyse
into ZP2f—making the whole matrix hard and
impermeable to sperm. This prevents
fertilization of an egg by more than one
sperm.
• Fusion:After the sperm enters the
cytoplasm of the oocyte, the cortical
reaction takes place, preventing other
sperm from fertilizing the same egg.
The oocyte now undergoes its second
meiotic division producing the haploid
ovum and releasing a polar body. The
sperm nucleus then fuses with the
ovum, enabling fusion of their genetic
material.
Cell membranes
• The cell membranes of the secondary

oocyte and sperm fuse.
Transformations
• In preparation for the fusion of their genetic
material both the oocyte and the sperm undergo
transformations as a reaction to the fusion of cell
membranes.
• The oocyte completes its second meiotic division
. This results in a mature ovum. The nucleus of
the oocyte is called a pronucleus in this process,
to distinguish it from the nuclei that are the result
of fertilization.
• The sperm's tail and mitochondria degenerate
with the formation of the male pronucleus. This is
why all mitochondria in humans are of maternal
origin
Replication
• The pronuclei migrate toward the center of the oocyte,
rapidly replicating their DNA as they do so to prepare the
embryo for its first mitotic division
Mitosis
• The male and female pronuclei don't fuse, although their
genetic material do. Instead, their membranes dissolve,
leaving no barriers between the male and female
chromosomes. During this dissolution, a mitotic spindle
forms between them. The spindle captures the
chromosomes before they disperse in the egg cytoplasm.
Upon subsequently undergoing mitosis (which includes
pulling of chromatids towards centrioles in anaphase) the
cell gathers genetic material from the male and female
together. Thus, the first mitosis of the union of sperm and
oocyte is the actual fusion of their chromosomes
• Each of the two daughter cells resulting from that mitosis
has one replica of each chromatid that was replicated in
the previous stage. Thus, they are genetically identical.

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The

• Corona radiata : The egg and the sperm

• The cell membranes of the secondary

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