GAMMETOGENESIS IN FEMALE

BY,
JOYCE A,
1ST YR M.Sc CHN
SNCON
 GAMETOGENESIS
• The process involved in the maturation of the
two highly specialized cells ,spermatozoon in
male and ovum in the female before they
unite to form zygote ,is called Gametogenesis.
• It occurs in the gonads ( ovary or testis)
 OOGENESIS
• The process involved in the development of a
mature ovum is called oogenesis.
• From yolk sac – primitive germ cells at 3rd
week take their origin.
• It happens in the ovary.
• It is spherical in shape.
 Meiosis and Mitosis
Meiosis is a process where
a single cell divides twice to
produce four cells containing
half the original amount of
genetic information.
Mitosis is a process where a
single cell divides into two
identical daughter cells (cell division). 
 Gametogenesis is divided into four phases

1. Extra –gonadal origin 3.Meiosis

of primordial germ
cells . 4.Structural and functional
2. Proliferation of germ maturation of the ova and
cells by mitosis. spermatozoa
• Oogenesis begin in early foetal life.
• All oocytes formed in females are produced
during foetal life .Many of them degenerate
with time and at birth the ovaries contain
about 2 million oocytes.
• All the oocytes go into the meiotic arrest
When they reach the first meiotic division
during the foetal life.
• In the female gonads ,the germ cells undergo a
rapid mitotic division and differentiate into
oogonia.
• The number of oogonia reaches its maximum at
20th week, numbering about 7 million.
• While the majority of the oogonia continue to
divide, some enter into the prophase of the first
meiotic division and are called primary oocytes.
• The primary oocytes are surrounded by flat
cells and are called primordial follicles and are
present in the cortex of the ovary.
• At birth there is no more mitotic division and
all the oogonia are replaced by primary
oocytes which have finished the prophase of
the first mitotic division and remain in the
resting phase between prophase and
metaphase , which is called as dictyotene
stage.
• Total number of primary oocytes at birth is
estimated to be about 2million .
• The primary oocyte do not finish, the first
meiotic division until puberty is reached.
• At puberty some 4,00,000 primary oocytes are
left behind, the rest being atretic.
• Out of these, some 400 are likely to ovulate
during the entire reproductive period.
 Maturation of the oocytes
• The essence of maturation is reduction of the number of
the chromosomes to half.
• Before the onset of first meiotic division, the primary
oocytes double its DNA by replication, so they contain
double the amount of normal protein content.
• There are 22 pairs of autosomes which determine the body
characteristics and one pair of sex chromosomes named
“XX”.
• The first stage of maturation occurs with full maturation of
the ovarian follicle just prior to ovulation but the final
maturation occurs only after fertilization.
• The primary oocyte undergoes first meiotic division
giving rise to secondary oocyte and one polar body.
• The two are unequal size, the secondary oocyte
contains haploid number of chromosomes (23,X),
but nearly all the cytoplasm and the small polar
body also contains half of the chromosomes (23,X)
but with scanty cytoplasm.
• Ovulation occurs soon after the formation of the
secondary oocyte.
• The secondary oocyte completes the second
meiotic division only after fertilization by the
sperm in the fallopian tube and results in the
formation of two unequal daughter cells, each
possessing 23 chromosomes (23,X), the larger
one is called the mature ovum and the smaller
one is the second polar body containing the
same number of chromosomes.
• The first polar body may also undergo the
second meiotic division. In the absence of
fertilization, the secondary oocyte does not
complete the second meiotic division and
degenerates as such.
 Structure of mature ovum
• A fully mature ovum is the
largest cell in the body and
is about 130 microns in diameter.
• It consists of cytoplasm and
a nucleus with its nucleolus
which is eccentric in position
and contains 23 chromosomes(23,X).
• During fertilization, the nucleus is converted into a female
pronucleus.
• The ovum is surrounded by a cell membrane called Vitelline
membrane.
• There is an outer transparent mucoprotein envelope , the zona pellucida.
• The zona pellucida is penetrated
by tiny channels which are
thought to be important for
the transport of the materials
from the granulosa cells to the oocyte.
• In between the vitelline membrane and zona pellucida , there is a narrow
space called Perivitelline space which accomodates the polar bodies .
• The human oocyte ,after its escape from the follicle ,retains a covering
granulosa cells known as the corona radiata derived from the cumulus
oophorus.
Ovulation