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Female and Male Gametogenesis

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Clinical Reproductive Medicine and Surgery

Abstract

The physiology of gamete development is at the core of understanding reproductive medicine. In humans, oogenesis begins approximately 3 weeks after fertilization. Primordial germ cells (PGCs), arising from the yolk sac, migrate to the genital ridge. PGCs undergo rapid mitotic division and give rise to oogonia. Follicle formation begins at around 16–18 weeks of fetal life. The process of meiosis, which is unique to germ cells, ultimately results in the formation of a single haploid ovum. Meiotic progression of the oocyte is dependent on a delicate balance between factors keeping the oocyte in meiotic rest and factors promoting oocyte maturation. Follicles are recruited from this primordial pool and induced to grow. A single follicle containing a mature oocyte will be selected from this cohort to become the dominant follicle, which is eventually ovulated and capable of fertilization.

The testis is an immune-privileged site. The seminiferous tubules are the site of sperm production. The process of differentiation of a spermatogonium into a spermatid is known as spermatogenesis. It involves both mitotic and meiotic proliferation as well as extensive cell remodeling. In humans, the process of spermatogenesis starts at puberty and continues throughout the entire life. Spermatozoa undergo a series of cellular or physiologic changes such as capacitation and the acrosome reaction before they can fertilize.

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Abbreviations

Oogenesis:

The process by which the mature ovum is differentiated

Follicle:

Aggregation of cells that contains a single oocyte

Oocyte:

Female germ cell, mostly found in the ovary in its preovulatory state arrested in the first meiotic prophase

Ovulation:

Release of the mature egg from the ovary

Spermatogenesis:

The process of differentiation of a spermatogonium into a spermatid

Sperm: male haploid germ cell

Fertilization:

The fusion of gametes into a diploid cell, called a zygote

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. IVF Laboratory, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Cleveland Clinic Fertility Center, 26900 Cedar Road, Suite 220 South Building, Beachwood, OH, 44122, USA

    Nina Desai PhD, HCLD

  2. OB/GYN/IVF Research Intern, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Cleveland Clinic Fertility Center, Beachwood, OH, USA

    Jennifer Ludgin BA

  3. Department of Urology, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA

    Rakesh Sharma PhD & Ashok Agarwal PhD

  4. University of Miami, College of Arts and Sciences, Coral Gables, FL, USA

    Raj Kumar Anirudh BA

Authors
  1. Nina Desai PhD, HCLD
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  2. Jennifer Ludgin BA
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  3. Rakesh Sharma PhD
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  4. Raj Kumar Anirudh BA
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  5. Ashok Agarwal PhD
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Nina Desai PhD, HCLD .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, USA

    Tommaso Falcone

  2. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA

    William W. Hurd

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Desai, N., Ludgin, J., Sharma, R., Anirudh, R.K., Agarwal, A. (2017). Female and Male Gametogenesis. In: Falcone, T., Hurd, W. (eds) Clinical Reproductive Medicine and Surgery. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-52210-4_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-52210-4_2

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