HG - week 5

Flashcards covering key concepts in human development and sex determination.

Gamete

An unfertilised sex cell.

Gonads

Organs which produce gametes, specifically testes in males and ovaries in females.

Oocyte

An immature egg cell.

Spermatocyte

An immature sperm cell.

Zygote

A fertilised egg.

Spermatogenesis

The process of sperm formation, starting in the seminiferous tubules of the testes.

Spermatozoa

Mature sperm cells.

Epididymis

A coiled tube where immature sperm cells mature and are stored.

Oogenesis

The process of egg formation in females.

Uterus

An organ that nourishes a fertilised embryo.

Ovaries

Organs that produce eggs (oocytes).

Fallopian tube

The tube connecting the ovary to the uterus where fertilisation occurs.

Testosterone

A hormone that stimulates the development of male sexual characteristics.

Anti-Müllerian Hormone (AMH)

A hormone that breaks down Müllerian ducts during male sexual development.

SRY gene

The sex-determining region of the Y chromosome responsible for male sexual development.

Teratogens

Environmental agents that can produce foetal abnormalities.

Foetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS)

The leading preventable cause of birth defects, resulting from alcohol exposure during pregnancy.

Sexual phenotype

The physical characteristics associated with a specific sex, influenced by the presence or absence of hormones.

Dosage compensation

The mechanism that equalizes the expression of X-linked genes between males and females.

Barr body

An inactivated X chromosome found in females.

Sex-limited traits

Traits that can be inherited by both sexes but are expressed in only one, associated with secondary sexual characteristics.

Sex-influenced traits

Traits that are expressed differently in males and females, generally controlled by autosomal genes and hormones.