Procreation??

[juantonwan]

I was looking for a detailed account of human procreation.

 

Does sperm contain the preliminary information that tells to host how to form the embryo, i.e. the first cells, blood, bones, organs etc.

 

Sperm is a cell correct? So it carries the information that details how other cells are created?

 

Do polypeptides make up tissue and if so what happens after polypeptide synthesis? Do the polypeptides sequence differently to create tissue, etc.

 

Or is everything in the human body made up of cells and the initial sperm cell has the information for the creation of all the other cells?

[Moontanman]

The sperm cell only contains half the information, the female egg contains the other half.

[juantonwan]

I guess what I was really trying to ask was in regards to cellular differentiation. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cellular_differentiation

 

I was confused here. I was looking at the information or cells being carried by and/or created by zygote formation; whether there were preliminary cells that had to be in existence. But cellular differentiation explains where I was getting held up.

Edited January 4, 2010 by juantonwan

[iNow]

Juantonwan,

 

If you have time, I highly suggest the special linked below to better understand the topic. I think it was beautifully done and amazingly insightful.

 

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/beta/evolution/darwin-never-knew.html

[dttom]

I'm afraid I should say sperm could hardly tell how to form the embry, nor is it sharing 50% of the work.

Spermatozoan, definitely a cell, but its size is too small to have significant cytoplasm, this is of evolution reasons, involving intersexual competition which is not the focus. Though spermatozoan carries 50% of the constituting genome of the would-be embryo, it would be meaningless if there is no guide to illustrate how such half a genome is used. Little difference in genomes between species suggests primary sequencial genomic difference might not be the only rationale is constructing so different species, and it is. The paramount is how the cell, being totipotent, is guided to express the 'required' proteins in a 'proper' manner and sequence. Homeotic genes play an essential role, particularly famous, the Hox genes. That's why I said sperm does less than the egg which has a large cytoplasm to include differential chemical concentration gradient, switching Hox genes in 'proper' region and determine the anterior/posterior dimension the early embryo.