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and differentiation to form mature haploid gametes. Depending on the biological life cycle of the
organism, gametogenesis occurs by meiotic division of diploid gametocytes into various gametes.
Gametogenesis, by definition, is the development of mature haploid gametes from either haploid
or diploid precursor cells. The precursor cells undergo cell division in order to become gametes.
This may sound like a very technical definition, but by the end of this lesson you'll understand it.
Organisms can be either diploid or haploid. Those that are diploid, like you and me, have two
copies of their DNA per cell. Those that are haploid have one copy of their DNA per cell. As
mentioned in the definition, gametes are all haploid. So, if you are already a haploid cell, you
undergo regular cell division (mitosis). However, if you are diploid you have to make haploid
gametes. That is, you have to create cells with only one copy of DNA each. This is also done by
a special type of cell division called meiosis.
During the process of mitotic cell division a cell makes a complete copy of its DNA. Then,
when the cell divides, the DNA is split between the two daughter cells. Thus, each daughter cell
gets a complete, exact copy of the parent cell's genetic information (DNA). This type of cell
division is a one-step process.
Meiotic cell division is a two-step process. Meiosis begins with a diploid cell that has two copies
of DNA. One comes from the father and one from the mother. The cell divides twice producing
four haploid cells. The first division is called Meiosis I. It involves replication of chromosomes
but allows 'gene shuffling' between the maternal and paternal chromosomes. The second division
is called Meiosis II. It results in haploid cells.
Spermatogenesis is the process in which an animal produces spermatozoa from spermatogonial stem
cells by way of mitosis and meiosis. The initial cells in this pathway are called spermatogonia, which
yield primary spermatocytes by mitosis. The primary spermatocyte divides meiotically (Meiosis I) into
two secondary spermatocytes; each secondary spermatocyte divides into two spermatids by Meiosis II.
These develop into mature spermatozoa, also known as sperm cells. Thus, the primary spermatocyte
gives rise to two cells, the secondary spermatocytes, and the two secondary spermatocytes by their
subdivision produce four spermatozoa.
www.theodora.com/anatomy/the_spermatozoon.html
Spermatozoa are the mature male gametes in many sexually reproducing organisms. Thus,
spermatogenesis is the male version of gametogenesis, of which the female equivalent is oogenesis. In
mammals it occurs in the seminiferous tubules of the male testes in a stepwise fashion.
Spermatogenesis is highly dependent upon optimal conditions for the process to occur correctly, and is
essential for sexual reproduction. DNA methylation and histone modification have been implicated in
the regulation of this process.
Song, Ning; Liu, Jie; An, Shucai; Nishino, Tomoya; Hishikawa, Yoshitaka; Koji, Takehiko (2011).
"Immunohistochemical Analysis of Histone H3 Modifications in Germ Cells during Mouse
Spermatogenesis". Acta Histochemica et Cytochemica. 44 (4): 183–90. doi:10.1267/ahc.11027.
PMC 3168764 . PMID 21927517.
The spermatozoa or male germ cells are developed in the testes and
are present in enormous numbers in the seminal fluid. Each consists
of a small but greatly modified cell. The human spermatozoön
possesses a head, a neck, a connecting piece or body, and a tail (Fig.
6).
Oogenesis, ovogenesis, or oögenesis /ˌoʊ.əˈdʒɛnɪsɪs/[1] is the differentiation of the ovum (egg cell) into
a cell competent to further development when fertilized.[2] It is developed from the primary oocyte by
maturation.
Gilbert
The mechanisms of oogenesis vary among species more than those of spermatogenesis. This
difference should not be surprising, since patterns of reproduction vary so greatly among species.
In some species, such as sea urchins and frogs, the female routinely produces hundreds or
thousands of eggs at a time, whereas in other species, such as humans and most mammals, only a
few eggs are produced during the lifetime of an individual. In those species that produce
thousands of ova, the oogonia are self-renewing stem cells that endure for the lifetime of the
organism. In those species that produce fewer eggs, the oogonia divide to form a limited number
of egg precursor cells. In the human embryo, the thousand or so oogonia divide rapidly from the
second to the seventh month of gestation to form roughly 7 million germ cells (Figure 19.19).
After the seventh month of embryonic development, however, the number of germ cells drops
precipitously. Most oogonia die during this period, while the remaining oogonia enter the first
meiotic division (Pinkerton et al. 1961). These latter cells, called the primary oocytes, progress
through the first meiotic prophase until the diplotene stage, at which point they are maintained
until puberty. With the onset of adolescence, groups of oocytes periodically resume meiosis.
Thus, in the human female, the first part of meiosis begins in the embryo, and the signal to
resume meiosis is not given until roughly 12 years later. In fact, some oocytes are maintained in
meiotic prophase for nearly 50 years. As Figure 19.19 indicates, primary oocytes continue to die
even after birth. Of the millions of primary oocytes present at birth, only about 400 mature
during a woman's lifetime.
Oogenic meiosis also differs from spermatogenic meiosis in its placement of the metaphase plate. When
the primary oocyte divides, its nucleus, called the germinal vesicle, breaks down, and the metaphase
spindle migrates to the periphery of the cell. At telophase, one of the two daughter cells contains hardly
any cytoplasm, whereas the other cell has nearly the entire volume of cellular constituents (Figure
19.20). The smaller cell is called the first polar body, and the larger cell is referred to as the secondary
oocyte. During the second division of meiosis, a similar unequal cytokinesis takes place. Most of the
cytoplasm is retained by the mature egg (ovum), and a second polar body receives little more than a
haploid nucleus. Thus, oogenic meiosis conserves the volume of oocyte cytoplasm in a single cell rather
than splitting it equally among four progeny.