Acrosome

Acrosome

In spermatozoa (also known as sperm/sperm cell) of many animals, the Acrosome is an organelle that develops over the anterior half of the sperm's head. It is a cap-like structure derived from the Golgi apparatus. Acrosome formation is completed during testicular maturation. In Eutherian mammals the acrosome contains digestive enzymes (including hyaluronidase and acrosin). [cite web |url=http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/features/dictionary/DictionaryResults.aspx?refid=1861695331 |title=acrosome definition - Dictionary - MSN Encarta |accessdate=2007-08-15 |format= |work=] These enzymes breakdown the outer membrane of the ovum called the zona pellucida, allowing the haploid nuclei in the sperm to join with the haploid nucleus found in the ova.

ee also

* Acrosome reaction
* Capacitation

References


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  • acrosome — [ akrozom ] n. m. • 1904; all. Akrosoma 1898; de acro et some ♦ Biol. Organite situé à l extrémité antérieure des spermatozoïdes. ● acrosome nom masculin Extrémité antérieure différenciée du spermatozoïde. acrosome n. m. BIOL Organite sécrété… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • acrosome — acrosome. См. идиосома. (Источник: «Англо русский толковый словарь генетических терминов». Арефьев В.А., Лисовенко Л.А., Москва: Изд во ВНИРО, 1995 г.) …   Молекулярная биология и генетика. Толковый словарь.

  • acrosome — [ak′rə sōm΄] n. a thin sac usually at the head of a sperm cell containing enzymes which dissolve the protective layers of an egg cell acrosomal adj …   English World dictionary

  • Acrosome — L’acrosome est un organite dont la membrane enveloppe partiellement le noyau du spermatozoïde. Celle ci se forme à partir des vésicules golgiennes (appareil de Golgi) lors de la spermiogenèse (passage de la spermatide ronde à la spermatide… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • acrosome — A caplike organelle or saccule derived from the golgi that surrounds the anterior two thirds of the nucleus of a sperm cell. Within this cap are enzymes that are thought to facilitate entry of the sperm through the zona pellucida. [acro + G. soma …   Medical dictionary

  • acrosome — n. the caplike structure on the front end of a spermatozoon. It breaks down just before fertilization (the acrosome reaction), releasing a number of enzymes that assist penetration between the follicle cells that still surround the ovum. Failure… …   The new mediacal dictionary

  • acrosome — akrosoma statusas T sritis augalininkystė apibrėžtis Spermio galvutės priekyje esantis lazdelės pavidalo darinys. atitikmenys: angl. acrosome rus. акросома …   Žemės ūkio augalų selekcijos ir sėklininkystės terminų žodynas

  • Acrosome reaction — During fertilization, the acrosome reaction is the reaction which occurs in the acrosome of the sperm as it approaches the egg. The acrosome is a cap like structure over the anterior half of the sperm s head.As the sperm approaches the zona… …   Wikipedia

  • acrosome reaction — a sequence of structural changes seen in spermatozoa in the vicinity of an oocyte in the uterine tube, believed to facilitate their entry into the oocyte: the outer membrane of the acrosome fuses at multiple points with the overlying plasma… …   Medical dictionary

  • acrosome — noun Etymology: International Scientific Vocabulary Date: 1899 an anterior prolongation of a spermatozoon that releases egg penetrating enzymes • acrosomal adjective …   New Collegiate Dictionary

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