Speech and Language Therapy

Oogenesis
EMBRYOLOGY

School of Medicine
Department of Histology and Embryology
Assist. Prof. Dr. Bircan Kolbaşı
 OOGENESIS
 Process of producing mature oocyte from immature germ cells ( oogonia)

 Occurs in the ovaries and continues in the oviducts

 Starts in early fetal life (7th week of gestation), continues during puberte

 Controlled by menstrual cycle (~28 days)

Oviducts
Fallopian tubes
Uterine tubes
 The majority of the steps occur
prenatally 2n=46

Oogonium divides many times in fetal Just before

life with mitosis birth
Meiosis starts

They grow before birth to produce

primary oocytes

Most of them goes to atresia before

birth

Females are born with all of the primary

oocytes that they will ever have
Primary oocytes do not divide further !!

Number of primary oocytes during life

 Before birth ~ 7 million

 At birth ~ 2 million

 Before puberte ~ 400.000

 After puberte ( during the reproductive phase) ~ 4000

 Primary oocyte starts the
first meiosis before birth but
stops (arrests) in prophase
until puberte.

Primary oocytes are

surrounded by a single layer
of epithelium and are called
primordial follicules
 Folliculogenesis
• Oocyte development occurs within follicles

• Folliculogenesis is the development of follicules

 Folliculogenesis
• Oocyte development
occurs within follicles

• Follicles are sac-like

structures that oocytes
grow in

• Oogenesis and
folliculogenesis occur
in conjunction with
each other
 Oogenesis- Postnatal
• After puberte, GnRH
(gonadotropin release
hormone) is released from
the hypotalamus

• It causes FSH (follicle

stimulating hormone) and LH
(luteinizing hormone) release
from pituitary gland

• These hormones controls the

menstrual cycle that takes
nearly 28 days

• In each cycle, 5-15

primordial follicule starts to
grow but only one oocyte
gets ready for fertilization
Menstrual cycle

OVULATION
OVARIES
• Almond-shaped organs ~ 3 cm long, 1.5 cm wide, 1 cm thick.
The ovary and folliculogenesis
• The oogenesis and folliculogenesis takes place in the ovaries
 Ovarian Follicles
• Ovarian follicules are the saclike structures containing the oocytes

• The primary role is oocyte support

• From birth, the ovaries contain a number of

immature, primordial follicles

• These follicles each contain an immature

primary oocyte

• After the first menstruation, a clutch of follicles

begins folliculogenesis
 Ovarian Follicles
• An ovarian follicle consists of an oocyte surrounded by one or more layers of
epithelial cells

• The follicles that are formed during fetal life are primordial follicles

• They consist of a primary oocyte (2N) (arrested in prophase I) enveloped by a

single layer of the flattened follicular cells
• These follicles occur in the ovarian
cortex

• The oocyte in the primordial follicle

is ~25 μm in diameter, containing
chromosomes in the first meiotic
prophase.

• The basal lamina surrounds the

follicular cells

• Forms a clear boundary between

the follicle and the vascularized
stroma.
 Meiosis
• A specialized type of cell division
that reduces the chromosome
number by half, creating four
haploid cells

• Each is genetically distinct from

the parent cell

• In meiosis, DNA replication is

followed by two rounds of cell
division to produce four daughter
cells

• The two meiotic divisions are

known as Meiosis I and Meiosis
II.
 Meiosis stages

• I. First Meiotic Division

• 1. Prophase:
• (a) Leptotene
• (b) Zygotene
• (c) Pachytene
• (d) Diplotene
• (e) Diakinesis
• 2. Metaphase
• 3. Anaphase
• 4. Telophase

• II. Second Meiotic Division

• II. Second Meiotic
Division

• The second meiotic division is

similar to mitosis.

• By second meiotic division, the

two daughter cells of first
meiotic division form four
daughter cells

• Each with haploid number of

chromosomes.
• After puberty, the menstruel
cycles begin

• Oocyte began meiosis and

arrested in prophase I during
fetal life

• Oocyte completes the first

meiotic division as the
menstrual cycle starts

• Enters second meiosis and

once more arrests in
metaphase II in menstrual
cycle

• Meiosis continues if
fertilization occurs
Oogenesis- Arrest points !!

1st polar body

Primary Completion
Secondary
oocyte of meiosis I
1st polar body
oocyte
arrested in
entry into arrested in 2nd polar body
diplotene of meiosis II metaphase II Completion
prophase I of meiosis II

Activation or
Fertilization

Mature egg
 Follicular Growth
• With the release of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) from the pituitary, a small
group of primordial follicles each month begins folliculogenesis

• This involves growth of the oocyte (meiosis continues), proliferation and changes in
the follicular cells and the stromal fibroblasts around each follicle.
• Follicular cells undergo mitosis and form a simple cuboidal epithelium
around the growing oocyte.

• The follicle is called a unilaminar primary follicle

• The follicular cells continue to proliferate, forming a stratified follicular
epithelium, called the granulosa

• The granulosa cells communicate through gap junctions.

• Follicular cells are now termed granulosa cells and the follicle is a multilaminar
primary follicle surrounded by a basement membrane
• Between the oocyte and the first layer of granulosa cells extracellular material
accumulates called the zona pellucida

• Contains four glycoproteins secreted by the oocyte

• The zona pellucida is important for sperm receptors, binding specific proteins
on the sperm surface and inducing acrosomal activation.
• A fluid (liquor folliculi) begins to accumulate in the intercellular spaces
between granulosa cells.

• The fluid-filled spaces will begin to coalesce to form a single large cavity
called an antrum and secondary follicles are produced
• Follicular fluid contains hyaluronic acid, growth factors, plasminogen,
fibrinogen, the anticoagulant heparan sulfate proteoglycan,and high
concentrations of steroids (progesterone, androstenedione, and estrogens) with
binding proteins.

• As the antrum develops, the granulosa cells around the oocyte form a small
hillock, the cumulus oophorus, which protrudes into the antrum
 Secondary follicles
• Stromal cells outside each growing primary follicle differentiate to form the
follicular theca

• This differentiates further as two distinct tissues around the follicle

• A well-vascularized endocrine tissue, the theca interna, with steroid-
producing cells secreting androstenedione.

• A more fibrous theca externa

with fibroblasts and smooth
muscle merges gradually
with the surrounding stroma.

• First meiotic division is completed

 Secondary oocytes
• The chromosomes are equally divided
between the two daughter cells, but one
of these retains almost all of the
cytoplasm. 1 st. PB
• The cell is now the secondary oocyte
(1N) and the other becomes the first
polar body (PB)

• Secondary oocyte contains half the

chromosome number (N) of the parent
cell

• Oocyte begins the second meiotic

division but arrests again at metaphase
until fertilization
 Antral follicles
• As the primary follicles grow, they move deeper in the ovarian cortex.

• Granulosa cells reorganize themselves around a larger cavity called the antrum
producing follicles called vesicular or antral follicles.
 Graafian follicle
• Granulosa cells that surround
the zona pellucida make up the
corona radiata and accompany
the oocyte when it leaves the
ovary at ovulation.

• The large antrum of a mature or

(preovulatory follicle / graafian
follicle) accumulates follicular
fluid and expands to a diameter
of ~2 cm

• Contains a secondary oocyte

(1N)
• A preovulatory follicle forms a
bulge at the ovary surface
visible with ultrasound
imaging.

• A mature follicle has thick

thecal layers and normally
develops from a primordial
follicle over a period of about
90 days.
 Follicular AtresiaAtretic Follicles

• Atretic follicles are follicles (in various stages of maturation) that are
undergoing degeneration.

• After a graafian follicle ovulates, the remaining secondary follicles

degenerate.
 Ovulation
• Ovulation is the release of oocyte from the ovary.

• Occurs around the 14th day of a cycle

• Hours before ovulation, the mature dominant follicle bulging against the tunica
albuginea develops an ischemic area, the stigma, in which tissue compaction
has blocked blood flow.

• Usually only one oocyte is ovulated during each cycle, but sometimes either no
oocyte or two or more oocytes may be expelled.
• Ovulation occurs in response to the LH surge.

• The secondary oocyte and its corona radiata cells leave the ruptured
follicle at the ovarian surface
 Fimbriae

Erupting Follicle
Oocyte

 A large cell having the potential to

feed the zygote during early mitotic
divisions

 The biggest cell of the body

 ~120-130µm

 Surrounded by zona pellucida and

cumulus ooforus cells

 Feeding and protecting the oocyte