BIOL303 Study Guide - Midterm Guide: Zona Pellucida, Vitelline Membrane, Acrosome Reaction
3 Oct 2017
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Document Summary
Acrosome: structure in front of the sperm nucleus that is derived from the golgi; contains enzymes and complex sugars. Capacitation: the set of physiological changes by which sperm becomes capable of fertilizing an egg. Egg or ovum: female gamete capable of binding sperm and being fertilized. Oocyte: developing egg that cannot yet bind sperm or be fertilized. Dictyotene: the resting phase of the oocyte in mammals in which chromosomes are decondensed; length of the phase depends on the moment of the atresia of the follicle or of ovulation. Vitelline membrane: thin, tough extracellular matrix in invertebrate eggs. Zona pellucida: thick extracellular matrix in mammalian eggs. Cumulus: a layer of ovarian follicle cells that nurture the egg at the time of its release from the ovary and surround the zona pellucida. Cortical granules: membrane bound/golgi-derived molecules that contain digestive enzymes, mucopolysaccharides, adhesive glycoproteins, and hyaline protein (mechanical support for blastomeres)
