Psychology 1000 Lecture Notes - Lecture 30: Sex Organ, Neural Tube, Ejaculation

• School: Western University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: Psychology 1000
• Professor: Dr.Mike

Document Summary

Sperm has a head, tail (flagellum/propeller), and a middle section (which has lots of mitochondria 75/100 larger mitochondria). Propelling = takes lots of energy that comes from mitochondria. Egg has genetic material and a thick outer coating (zona pellucida that is a thick layer of glycoproteins protein w/ branching sugar chains). Once sperm gets through plasma membrane = fertilization! Egg cell has mitochondria (200k mitochondria) but also other organelle. Steps of fertilization are: sperm binding acrosome reaction cortical reaction genetic transfer: sperm binding: when sperm comes in contact with zona pellucida. Sperm binds to zona pellucida: acrosome reaction: enzymes leak into zona pellucida and digest it. Sperm gets closer to plasma membrane of egg: cortical reaction: in egg there are enzymes (contained w/n cortical granules) that get ejected to zona pellucida and that digest the zona pellucida. Prevents other sperm from binding. (block to polyspermy).