Livestock Reproduction Exam #1

What are the interconnected tube tissue types in the female reproductive tract?

Mucosa (inner), Submucosa, Muscularis, Serosa (outer)

What are the three secretory epithelium found in the mucosa?

Ciliated simple columnar→ moves materials

Non-ciliated simple columnar→ produces fluid

Stratified Squamous→ protection during copopulation

What is the submucosa?

houses blood vessels, nerves and lymphatics, supports mucosa

What are the two types of muscularis?

Circular smooth muscle (weak) and longitudinal smooth muscle (strong for birth)

What is serosa?

outer surface covering, single cell layer of squamous epithelium

What are the three layers of the broad ligament?

Mesovarium, mesosalpinx, mesometrium

What is the mesovarium?

cranial portion, houses vessels and nerves that supply the ovary

What is the mesosalpinx?

supports the oviduct, orientates oviduct to catch the oocyte

What is the mesometrium?

largest portion, supports uterine horn and body

How does the broad ligament contribute to embryonic development?

develops retroperitoneal, pushes into body cavity, 2 layers with continuous peritoneum

What is the ovary?

produces female gametes (ova), secrete hormones

What does the follicle secrete?

estrogen

What does the corpus luteum secrete?

progesterone, relaxin, activin, oxytocin, inhibin

What are the layers of the ovary?

tunica albuginea, ovarian cortex, ovarian medulla

What is the tunica albuginea?

outer connective tissues, single layer of cuboidal cells

What is the ovarian cortex?

houses oocytes and corpora lutea and corpora albicana

What is the ovarian medulla?

has vasculature, nerves and lymphatics, composed of dense connective tissue

What are the differences of the ovaries in mares?

medulla is outer and cortex is inner, has ovulatory fossa, CL grows inward

What are the primordial follicles?

microscopic, oocyte surrounded by single layer of squamous cells, finite at birth in females

What are the primary follicles?

more mature, surrounded by single layer of cuboidal epithelium

What is the secondary follicles?

2 or more layers of follicle cells, surrounded by zona pellucida

What is the function of Zona Pellicidia?

prevents multiple sperm from entering

What is the antral follicle?

antrum present (follicular fluid filled cavity), develops three layers (teca externa, theca interna, granulosal cell layer)

What is the graafin follicle?

visible to naked eye, vary in size, fully developed three layers (theca externa, theca interna, granulosal cell layer)

What is the ovulating follicle?

few reach this stage, exits out of the ovary

What is the theca externa?

loose connective tissue that surrounds and supports the follicle

What is the theca interna?

produces androgens under the lutelysing hormone

What is the granuosal cell layer?

produce estrogen, inhibin and follicular fluid under control of follicle stimulating hormone, controls oocyte maturation

What is the corpus hemorrhagicum?

follicle collapses and becomes corpus during ovulation, small blood vessels rupture

What is the corpus luteum?

produces progesterone to maintain pregnancy

What is the corpus albicans?

only forms if not pregnant, the scar tissue after CL heals, can have more than one (does not heal by next cycle)

What are the structures in the oviduct?

infundibulum, ampulla, isthmus

What is the infundibulum function?

funnel shaped to catch oocyte, have fimbriae to increase SA, opening is ostium

What is the function of the ampulla?

thick middle portion, largest in length and diameter, fern like mucosal folds with ciliated epithelium (help sperm and egg meet), site of fertilization

What is the function of the isthmus?

connect the uterus-uterotubal junction, fewer mucosal folds, only allows fertilized ova to pass through

What are the tissue layers of the oviduct function

muscularis→ transports oocytes and sperm to site of fertilization

mucosa→ secretions provide optimum environment

fertilization and feeds embryo until it travels to uterus

What are some species-specific oviduct tissue layer functions?

Cattle→ kinks at uterotubal junction

Swine→ Constriction

What is the uterus?

connects the oviduct to cervix, contains horns and body

What is the function of uterus?

sperm transport, luteolysis and control of cyclicity, environment for pre-attachement of embryo, maternal contribution to the placenta, expulsion of the fetus and placenta

What are the layers of uterus?

perimetrium, myometrium, endometrium

What is the perimetrium?

serosal layer, continuous with mesosalpinx, thin and almost transparent

What is the myometrium?

longitudinal and circular muscle, provides motility for uterus contractions, high uterine tone (under influence of estrogen)

What are the 2 layers of endometrium and its function?

mucosal and submucosal layer

produce prostaglandin F2a which causes luteolysis if not pregnant, maintain proper environment and nutrients for embryo

What is the uterine mucosal layer function?

secretes material for embryo and sperm viability, surficial uterine glands develop

What is the uterine submucosal layer function?

connective and supporting tissue for uterine glands

What are uterine glands?

penetrate and coil under estrogen, secrete histrotroph (nutrients to embryo until placenta develops) under progesterone

What are the differences in placenta for species?

Ruminants→ caruncles (vascularized bumps that are part of the placenta)

Nonruminants→ placenta folds (look like scars)

What is the cervix?

thick walled, connects uterus to vagina, lubrication and flushing, barrier for sperm transport, mucus plug barrier during pregnancy

What are the differences of the cervix based on species?

cow and ewe→ 3 rings

mare→ loose folds

sow→ interdigitated rings

What is the vagina?

copulatory organ and birth canal, poorly developed mucosal layer, highly developed mucosal epithelium

What are the differences in epithelium based on location in vagina?

cranial vagina→ columna epithelium

caudal vagina→ stratified squamous epithelium

What is the vulva?

external portion of repro tract, consist of labia major and minor

What are the structures of the vulva?

Perineum→ surrounds vulva and anus

Clitoral Fossa→ houses the clitoris

Vestibular glands→ secretes mucous like material during estrus

What is the function of the ductus deferens?

transports sperm to the accessory sex glands

What is the function and types of the accessory sex glands?

produces seminal plasma

seminal vesicles, prostate, bulbourethral

What is the spermatic cord?

what suspends the testis, houses the pampiniform plexus, cremaster muscle

How cool does the testes need to be to keep sperm viable?

4-6 degrees Celsius

What are the structures that help cooling of the testes?

pampiniform plexus, cremaster muscle, scrotal skin, tunica dartos

How does the pampiniform plexus monitor temperature?

the intertwined of arteries and vein transfers the arterial heat to the veins (going back to the heart)= counter current heat exchange

Does pulse pressure eliminator affect temperature?

NO, the convolution for arteries just slow blood flow down no heat is exchanged

How does the cremaster muscle affect temperature?

muscle that supports the testes, contracts and relaxes (facilitating blood flow movement) but is straited= not able to sustain contractions

What is the scrotum and its correlating layers?

protects, supports and helps control temp for testes

skin, tunica dartos, scrotal fascia (inner), parietal tunica vaginalis(inner)

What does the scrotum skin do?

has sweat glands for evaporative cooling as the thermosensitive nerves send signals to hypothalamus to initiate panting and sweating

What is the tunica dartos?

smooth muscle that contracts to alter the closeness of scrotum to body, controlled by sensory nerves and testosterone (contractile characteristics)

What are the roles of the testes?

produce spermatozoa, testosterone, inhibin, estrogen and proteins (sperm function), fluid for sperm suspension

What are the areas of the testes?

testicular capsule, parenchyma, mediastinum

What is the testicular capsule?

houses the outer (visceral tunica vaginalis) and inner (tunica albuginea)

What does the tunica albuginea do?

connective tissue and smooth muscle whose rhythmic contractions facilitate movement of sperm and blood flow

What is the parenchyma?

contains the tubular compartment and interstitial compartment

What does the tubular compartment of the parenchyma contain?

seminiferous tubules and Sertoli cells

What does the interstitial compartment contain?

blood vessels, connective tissue, lymphatics, nerves, leydig cells (produce testosterone)

What is the mediastinum?

connective tissue core, houses rete tubules, denseness keeps tubules from collapsing

What is the function of the rete tubules?

tiny channels that carry sperm out of testes into the efferent duct system

What receptors do Sertoli cells have?

FSH, testosterone

What are the structures of the seminiferous epithelium?

basement membrane in basal compartment, deep adluminal compartment, peripheral adluminal compartment

What is the basement compartment hold?

spermatogonia

What process changes spermatogonia to primary spermatocytes

mitosis

How do spermatocytes travel from basal compartments to the adluminal compartments?

Sertoli tight junctions (blood testes barrier)

What does the blood testes barrier block?

blocks immune cells (macrophages and lymphocytes) and immunoglobins, prevents autoimmune reactions destroying spermatozoa

What process occurs in the deep adluminal compartment?

meiosis (primary to secondary) also form spermatids

What happens in the peripheral adluminal compartment?

nucleus elongation and cytoplasm invasion from the sertoli cells, become spermatozoa

What is the epididymis?

Where sperm become motile, gain ability to fertilize and stored (tail), more time spent there it will be a decrease in quality, sperm is constantly being voided to eliminate “build-up”

What happens to the spermatozoa in the epididymis head?

not motile or fertile, contains proximal cytoplasmic droplet, low disulfide crosslinking

What happens to the spermatozoa in epididymis body?

some motility and fertility (can bind to oocyte but not well), translocating cytoplasmic droplet, medium→high disulfide crosslinking

What happens to the spermatozoa in the epididymis tail?

motility, fertile, distal droplet, high disulfide crosslinking, can bind to oocytes

What is seminal plasma?

provides fluid for delivery, fructose (energy source), uterine inflammation that prepares the uterus for copopulation

What accessory sex gland secrets the most seminal plasma?

seminal vesicles

What does the accessory sex gland ampulla do?

enlarge the ductus deferens

What does the accessory sex gland bulbourethral do?

provides gel fraction (specifically boars)

What are the properties the seminal plasma for boars and stallions?

coagulation properties

What are characteristics of the penis?

copulatory organ, consist of base, shaft, glans penis

What is the fibroelastic penis?

bulls, boars, rams

limited erectile tissue (no change in diameter), S-shaped (contract= inside body, relaxed= outside), corpus cavernosum, corpus spongiosum

What is the musculovascular penis?

stallion

arterial rush→ penis→ expansion= vein constriction, change in diameter, corporal sinusoids

What is the route of sperm from creation to ejaculation?

basal compartment→ deep adluminal compartment→ peripheral adluminal compartment→ rete tubules→ efferent duct system → epididymal duct→ epididymis head → body→ tail → ductus deferens→ accessory sex glands→ penis→ glans penis→ ejaculation

What is the route of the ovary from creation to fertilization?

primordial follicles → primary follicles → secondary follicles → antral follicle → graafin follicle→ ovulating follice→ infundibulum→ ampulla (fertilized)→ isthmus→ uterine horns→ uterine body