Fertilization

Mar 27, 2023, 16:45 IST

About  Fertilization.

(i) Definition : Fusion of a haploid male gamete (spermatozoon) and a haploid female gamete (ovum) to form a diploid cell, the zygote, is called fertilization or syngamy.

(ii) Site of fertilization : Fertilization in human female is internal as in other mammals. It takes place usually in the ampulla of the fallopian tube.

Steps of fertilization

(a) Approach of sperm to ovum : Male discharge semen (3.5 ml) high up in the female’s vagina, close to the cervix during coitus. This is called ejaculation or insemination. This ejaculation contains as many as 400 million sperms but only about 100 sperms reach the fallopian tube because many sperms are either killed by the acidity of female genital tract or engulfed by the phagocytes of the vaginal epithelium. The sperm swim in the seminal fluid at the rate of 1-4 mm per minute by the aspiratory action of the uterus and peristaltic movement of the fallopian tube.Capacitation is the phenomenon of physiological maturation of sperms by breaking of acrosome membrane inside the female genital tract. It takes about 5-6 hours. Ovum is released on the 14th day of menestrual cycle trapped by the fimbriae of the ampulla of fallopian tube and move towards the uterus by peristalsis and ciliary action. At the time of ovulation, egg is at secondary oocyte stage. Fertilizability of human sperm in the female genital tract is of 12 to 24 hours while its survival value is upto 3 days and of ovum is only 24 hours though it can live for about 72 hours.

(b) Penetration of sperm : The ovum secretes a chemical substance called fertilizin, which has a number of spermophillic sites on its surface where the sperm of species specific type can be bound by their antifertilizin site. This fertilizin-antifertilizin interaction, causing agglutination (sticking together) of egg and sperm.

The sperm generally comes in contact with ovum in the animal pole (side of ovum with excentric nucleus) while the opposite side of ovum is called vegetal pole. Ovulation in the human female occurs at secondary oocyte stage in which meiosis-I has been completed and first polar body has been released but second maturation is yet to complete. Penetration of sperm is a chemical mechanism. In this acrosome of sperm undergoes acrosomal reaction and releases certain sperm lysins which dissolve the egg envelopes locally and make the path for the penetration of sperm. Sperm lysins are acidic proteins. These sperm lysins contain a lysing enzyme hyaluronidase which dissolves the hyaluronic acid polymers in the intercellular spaces which holds the granulosa cells of corona radiata together; corona penetrating enzyme (that dissolves the corona radiata) and acrosin (which dissolves the zona pellucida). Then it dissolves the zona pellucida. Only sperm nucleus and middle piece enter the ovum. The tail is lost.To excel in your Biology exam must refer NCERT text book and solve the questions given in exercise of NCERT for reference you can use Physics Wallah NCERT solutions for class 12 biology . Prepared by Physics Wallah experts

(c) Cortical reaction : Immediately after the entry of a sperm into the egg, the later shows a cortical reaction to check the entry of more sperms. In this reaction, the cortical granules present beneath the egg’s plasma membrane release chemical substance between the ooplasm and the plasma membrane (vitelline membrane). These substances raise the vitelline membrane above the egg surface. The elevated vitelline membrane is called fertilization membrane. The increased space between the ooplasm and the fertilization membrane and the chemical present in it effectively check the entry of other sperm. If polyspermy occurs, that is more than one sperm enter the secondary oocyte, the resulting cell has too much genetic material to develop normally.

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