User:Z3330313

--z3330313 11:14, 2 August 2011 (EST)

LAB1

1. Identify the origin of In Vitro Fertilization and the 2010 nobel prize winner associated with this technique.'

In Vitro Fertilisation is an ART (Assisted Reproduction technology) technique, used by infertile people. It is a process whereby the egg is fertilised by the sperm outside the body. The first successful IVF baby named Louise Brown was born in1978, the procedure was carried out by Patrick Steptoe and Robert Edwards. And in 2010 the Nobel Prize was awarded to Robert Edwards for the development of in vitro fertilisation.

2. Identify a recent paper on fertilisation and describe its key findings.'

"Not all sperm are equal: functional mitochondria characterize a subpopulation of human sperm with better fertilization potential." <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21448461>

This paper proves that not all sperm carry the potential to fertilise an egg. It found that mitochondrial activity plays a major role in the functionality of the sperm. They found that the level of mitochondrial function mirrored sperm quality. In conclusion, whatever the true biological role of sperm mitochondria in fertilization, mitochondrial activity is a clear hallmark of human sperm functionality.

3. Identify 2 congenital anomalies.

-Down syndrome -Cystic fibrosis

--[--z3330313 17:31, 8 August 2011 (EST)] 17:30, 8 August 2011 (EST)] 12:52, 4 August 2011 (EST)

LAB2

Identify the ZP protein that spermatozoa binds and how is this changed (altered) after fertilization.

The oocyte is surrounded by a glycoprotein membrane called the zone pellucida. It is the barrier that the spermatozoa has to push through to reach the oocyte for fertilisation. The zone pellucida protein 3 is the sperm receptor that the spermatozoa binds to as an pathway to enter the cell. After fertilisation, a cortical reaction occurs where it modifies the ZP3 protein to an inactive form. Thus preventing more than one sperm from fertilising the egg.

--z3330313 15:57, 10 August 2011 (EST)

--z3330313 11:39, 11 August 2011 (EST)

Lab3 Picture

Differentially expressed RefSeq genes in human trisomy 21

Lab 3 Online Assessment

  1. What is the maternal dietary requirement for late neural development?
  2. Upload a picture relating to you group project.