organ system interview questions

1. Identify a specialized cell found in your system, describe the cell’s function, and explain one way that the cell’s structure supports its function.

The Sperm Cell is found in the testes and is a male gamete that reaches and fertilizes an egg by moving through the female reproductive system to provide male DNA for sexual reproduction. The sperm’s long slender shape allows the sperm to move through the female’s tract without resistance. 

2) Identify a molecule that needs to be transported in your system, describe how it is transported, and explain why it is transported in this way.

Oxytocin is a molecule that is transported out of the cell through exocytosis, as It is a small hormone protein that cannot dissolve through the bilayer and is too large to pass through a carrier protein. Oxytocin is needed to trigger a response such as milk ejection, and must bind to an extracellular receptor to do so. 

3. Identify an enzyme that plays an important role in your system and the reaction it catalyzes, describe the purpose of enzymes, and explain how the system will be impacted if this enzyme is missing or damaged.

The enzyme Acrosin breaks down proteins in the zona pellucida so that the sperm can pass through protective layers around the egg. Enzymes are needed to speed up reactions by lowering activation energy. If Acrosin were damaged the sperm could fail to penetrate the zona pellucida leading to fertilization failure. 

4. Identify a ligand in your system and where it is produced, describe the reception, transduction, and response of this ligand, and explain what type of signaling this exemplifies

The GnRH ligand is produced in the brain and travels through the bloodstream through endocrine signaling. GnRH binds to a receptor in Reception. In Transduction the receptor couples with G proteins activating cascades leading to the production of 2ndary messengers which initiate gene transcription. The response is the stimulation of sex steroid secretion.

5. Identify a genetic disorder affecting this system and its impact on the system, describe the inheritance pattern of this disorder, and explain how this mutation impacts the DNA, mRNA, amino acid sequence, and folding of a protein.

Cystic Fibrosis in males is a autosomal recessive disorder and causes the tubes that carry sperm from the tests to be blocked my mucus causing infertility. Because Cystic Fibrosis is caused by a deletion of 3 nucleotides, CTT in DNA, in mRNA, transcription is completed but is missing 3 bases. In the Amino Acid, the deletion of a codon results in the loss of a amino acid; thus, the resulting protein misfolds and the protein is never installed. Without the protein, water cannot move in and out of the cell leading to stick mucus blocking sperm. 

6. Describe the system or an organ or feature of the system in three ancestral species, define fitness, and explain one way that the human version of the system, organ, or feature increases humans fitness.

The reproductive system differed from species to species. Ancestral fish relied on external fertilization in water, early reptiles evolved eggs, allowing them to reproduce away from water, and early mammals developed a uterus which allowed for live birth. Fitness, an organism's ability to survive and reproduce, increases with the evolution of the reproductive system in humans as sexual reproduction generates genetic diversity, helping the population defend against disease. 

7. Summarize the findings of a recent research article about your system, explain what this finding is significant, and propose a follow up question for further investigation.

A study looked at whether COVID-19 had an effect on the sperm production. Researchers found that people with COVID-19 did not have an unusually low sperm count as compared to people without COVID-19, which is significant as earlier research raised concerns that COVID-19 could harm sperm production. A possible follow up question could be: Does COVID-19 affect a sperm’s mobility even if total sperm count remains normal?