Male Reproductive System Slide 1-3 Introduction Slide The male reproductive system is no laughing matter, so be careful about

telling jokes about it. First we will talk about the testis because it is complex, then we will talk about the male duct system Slide 4

13_14 Microscopic Anatomy Dr. Johnson 11/20/13 09:00-10:00 Notetaker 20

Heart of the male reproductive is the testis that are in the sac-like flap on the body called the scrotum. Scrotum- this is the sac that contains the testis. Spermatogenesis requires a slightly lower than normal temperature so the testis are outside the body (approximately 96 F) in all mammals. The core temperature is inhibitory so those with undistended testicles will have irreversible sterility. A series of complex ducts sit with the epididymis, it sits as a curled structure, which leads into the ductus deferens, which snake up and enter the prostate at the base of the urinary bladder. The ductus deferens joins into the prostate bilaterally through ejaculatory ducts. Just before the ductus deferens enteres the prostate there is a blind-ending pouch off it called the Seminole vesicles. The ejaculatory duct join up through the prostatic urethra and exit through the penis. The function of the penis is obvious, its an organ of intromission. The bolbourethral gland secretes a clear lubricant fluid that is secreted during sex that aids with entrance. Slide 5 Testes are fairly firm and have a dense CT capsule around them called the tunica albuginea.

The testicles have lobules that contain the highly coiled seminiferous tubules with a u-shape structures that are jumbled together inside the lobules. This is the place where spermatogenesis occurs. There is interstitial tissue between the tubules with blood vessels, nerves, CT elements, and leydig cells (source of primary male sex hormone, testosterone). Slide 6

These are seminiferous tubules with a peculiar epithelial wall with two kinds of cells sertoli cells that are supportive and gametogenic cells that are regenerative. The sertoli are supportive cells that are simple columnar, and between these are stratified cells where the apical cells are differentiated into spermatozoa this is an odd kind of epithelium. There are miles, literally miles of seminiferous tubules. The normal male ejaculate contains 2-3 hundred million spermatozoa, so there is a long stretch of these seminiferous tubules to produce these. Why so many if females produce one egg monthly? Human reproduction is pretty inefficient humans have sex even when the female is not ovulating, the sperm has to travel all the way up the female reproductive system, etc. This reproduction requires the sperm to travel far in a very harsh environment, but only one is needed. In the ejaculate, 80% of the total is capable of fertilization, probably only 90% get to the vagina, and then half of that exists the cervix. The rest of the ejaculate is junk cells (nutrients, enzymes, lubricants, etc). By the time you get to the uterine tubes, there may be only a thousand sperm left. It only takes one, though, and the first one in the room locks the door behind it. The wall of the seminiferous tubule has a population of myoid cells (smooth musclelike cell that probably have contractile activity similar to myoepithelial cells in the mammary gland). Theyre not smooth muscle because theyre not innervated by the autonomic nervous system, but they contract and probably push the spermatozoa downstream.

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This is the typical low-powered view of the seminiferous tubules in the testis. At the edge of the epithelial is a thick layer, the tunica albuginea (blue layers). There are lots of leydig cells in between. The volume fraction occupied by leydig may be 5%, most of it is seminiferous tubules. Functionally these cells are very important even though theyre a small population. Slide 8

You can see various stages in the spermatogenic process in this slide. At the Basal layer: spermatogonia. As you go through the lumen you will see a series as they become primary spermatocytes, then secondary spermatocytes, then you will see spermatids when they are completed with mitosis. Then these spermatids will be converted into spermatozoa. The contraction of the myoid cells will move these downstream so they can leave. You will then see them sent off into the lumen when theyre done. Slide 9 Basically a diploid population of dividing cells (spermatogonia) that will produce primary spermatocytes as they divide mitotically. These primary spermatocytes will undergo two meiotic divisions. The first produces a secondary spermatocyte, then the second produces as spermatid, which has a haploid cells. This undergoes a spermiogenesis, which produces spermatozoa, which is a mature cell that is highly specialized. It streamlined, it has an acrosome (a modified lysosome) with hydrolytic enzymes that are released as it approaches the egg and allows it to enter the egg. The sperm has to penetrate the corona radiata and make a hole in the zona

pellucida. The fusion of the sperm with the egg triggers the second meiotic division of the egg cell, so you have two haploid cells joining to form a diploid cell. You have a highly modified spermatid becoming highly specialized spermatozoa. This all happens continuously, beginning in puberty, then continues until death. In contrast, ovulation stops at menopause in females. Slide 10

Slide: Thin section of the seminiferous tubules. You can see the tails of many long skinny flagella on the apical surface entering into the luminal sloughed off the seminiferous epithelium. At the basal surface you have a basement membrane with a diploid population of cells called spermatogonia sitting on that basement membrane. These undergo multiple round of mitotic division, which then differentiate into primary spermatocyte after a programmed number of divisions. Once they become a 1 spermatocyte, they will undergo meiotic divisions. The 1 spermatocyte undergoes multiple meiotic divisions and one 1 spermatocyte will produce two 2 spermatocytes, which each produce 2 spermatids. A single 1 spermatocyte will produce 4 spermatids that produce 4 spermatozoa. Spermatids complete mitosis but havent undergone spermiogenesis to become spermatozoa. Slide 11

This shows the process. The top has spermatogonia (there are dark and pale), which undergo numerous mitotic divisons with 46 chromosomes in each cell. Some of the pale spermatogonia become committed to the differentiated division into primary spermatocyte. So each 1 spermatocyte becomes two 2 spermatocytes, which each become two spermatids, and each of these becomes a spermatozoa. (one primary spermatocyte becomes four spermatozoa). The cell divisions that occur here during mitosis are incomplete, so they develop in long chains, and they are all connected to each other like a long chain. So all they are all connected for coordination of the activity until they become spermatozoa. Slide 12

Slide: Basement membrane of the epithelial. You can see the chromosomes within the cells of the primary and secondary spermatocytes. The spermatids form the spermatozoa that get sloughed off into the apical surface into the lumen. The difference between 1 and 2 is a matter for experts. Slide 13

Slide: These cells are actually 2 Spermatocytes. You cane even see spermatids present. You can see the beginning of the acrosome formation with a cap-like structure around the nucleus. Slide 14 Spermiogenesis: Spermatids turn into spermatozoa. The Nucleus is sort of round and euchromatic. This nucleus then becomes very dense, completely heterochromatized, and streamlined like a jet nose so resistance is decreased. The nucleus is smaller and highly streamlined.

The golgi apparatus begins to secrete vesicles with hydrolytic enzymes that become a large acrosomal vesicle that caps the streamlined nucleus. There is a pair of centrioles in the cell that migrate to the opposite end of the cap. One forms an anchor; the other forms a long flagellum that projects out of the cell. The randomly distributed mitochondria migrate to this area and form a sausage-like spiral around the base called the middle piece, which produces the ATP used by the motor protein for the beating of the flagellum. This is a process of rearranging and repurposing the organelles. Slide 16

This is what was just discussed in diagram form. Nucleus becomes streamlined and condensed. The golgi make the acrosomal cap called the acrosome. The centrioles migrate to the opposite pole and spit out the flagellum. Eventually you have the mature spermatozoa that is long and thing, perfectly suited to travel the female system and penetrate the egg. Most of the movement through the female system is actually by the female muscular contraction, not the flagellum, however. Experiments have been done to prove this with dead sperm. How do you get transport distally while you move the egg proximally? Peristalsis probably has some role in moving these. Its possible the peristalsis and the ciliary beating go in opposite directions, but this is something I (Doc Johnson) just made up. It makes sense to me Flagellum beating is very important for the penetration of the egg layers, though.

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Spermatozoa: Partially condensed nucleus with partially spun out flagellum EM slide. Slide 18

Spermatozoa: Centrioles formed and mitochondria have begin to form around it. Slide 19

Spermatozoa: Midpiece almost completed. Think of a sausage.

Slide 20 Two populations of cells in seminiferous epithelium lets talk about the second type, the sertoli cells. These are the supportive cells, and are homologous to the granulosa cells. They form a compartment that enables spermatogenesis to occur. He will test what structures are homologous in male and females. They have the same function, same developmental path, and same developmental origin. They are tall columnar epithelial cells that have a compartment where this occurs, and without them, spermatogenesis would not occur. Slide 21 They have a euchromatic nucleus with large indentation and lots of smooth and rough ER. They have robust junctional complexes that are basally located that divide the space in between the cells into two separate compartments a basal below the complex and an adluminal complex above the complex. Johnson then draws a diagram.

Theres a space between the compartments where the spermatogenesis occurs. Basal compartment (between blue line and red layer) is on the right, and the adluminal compartment above. After puberty, you have plenty of primary and secondary spermatozoa in the adluminal (top part of picture) compartment, and then spermatogonia in the basal compartment. This occurs because there are antigens that form to self-identify the cells of the body, but this occurs before puberty. 1 and 2 spermatozoa are formed

after puberty, so the junction between the sertoli cells prevent the antigens from seeing the 1 and 2 cells. Theres a blood-testis layer similar to the BBB formed by tight junctions. This is a complete barrier between the blood and the adluminal compartment so the immune system is blind to them. If this doesnt happen, then you would kill off your own spermatocytes. The sertoli cells are active in supporting this whole process (nutrients, proteins, hormones, etc). Leydig cells produce testosterone in gigantic quantities. People with biochemical defects in testosterone will have infertility. Slide 22

This is a diagrammatic view of what he just drew. He skipped over it. Slide 23

This is a diagrammatic view of what he just drew. He skipped over it. Slide 24

This is a diagrammatic view of what he just drew. He skipped over it. Slide 25 Spermatogonia restricted to basal compartment. This is all repeated from before. Slide 26 During spermatogenesis, residual bodies are phagocytized by the sertoli cells and recycled. The constituents are reused. The androgen binding proteins secrete the protein for the high regional concentrations of testosterone for spermatogenesis. Slide 27 Leydig cells primary job is to make testosterone. Slide 28

Nest of sertoli cells and leydig with fenestrated capillaries closely associated to it. They are making testosterone and dumping it into the blood. The testosterone has many functions and drive male behavior.

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Higher power view of the leydig cells that are a steroidal tissue. There is lots of ER, mitochondria, and lipid-filled vacuoles. Slide 33

Slide 32 Hormonal regulation of the male reproductive system is similar to the female reproductive system (LH and FSH). Male reproduction is always on, unlike females who have a cyclic cycle. As you get older there is a decline in testosterone production. Once you start puberty its on.

EM of Leydig cells.

Pituitary gland in the adenohypohysis producing LH, which stimulates the Leydig cells to produce testosterone. So LH defects will have testosterone defects. FSH affects sertoli cells, so FSH defects will have spermatogenesis defects. The Leydig cells will have a negative feedback on the hypothalamus, so testosterone levels increasing will cause a decrease in FSH/LH production, so testosterone levels will fall. Sertoli cells also produce inhibin to cut down on FSH inhibin in the anterior pituitary, which acts as a negative feedback. The primary feedback is Leydig cells causing FSH/LH releasing hormone in the hypothalamus. Note: an increase in testosterone levels in males causes a higher incidence of prostate cancer. Breast cancer and uterine cancer incidences are estrogendependent. Johnson is happy to be 70 and doesnt need that artificial stimulation. He can think more about football, and every stupid thing hes ever done has been testosterone driven.