secondary oocyte


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Related to secondary oocyte: oogenesis, zona pellucida, primary oocyte

sec·on·dar·y o·o·cyte

an oocyte in which the first meiotic division is completed; the second meiotic division usually stops short of completion unless fertilization occurs.

secondary oocyte

an oocyte in the period between the first and second maturation division. It is derived from a primary oocyte shortly before ovulation by a division that splits off the first polar body. If fertilized, it divides into an ootid and the second polar body. Otherwise, it perishes. In humans, it is a round cell about 0.1 mm in diameter and consists of protoplasm that contains some yolk enclosed by a thin cell wall, the vitelline membrane. It is surrounded by the zona pellucida and corona radiata.

sec·on·dar·y o·o·cyte

(sek'ŏn-dar-ē ō'ŏ-sīt)
An oocyte in which the first meiotic division is completed; the second meiotic division usually stops short of completion unless fertilization occurs.

secondary oocyte

The larger of the two cells produced by the first meiotic division of the primary oocyte.
See: polar body
See also: oocyte
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At ovulation, usually only 1 primary oocyte divides to produce a secondary oocyte.
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The Ascaris-type fertilization process is typical of species in which sperm fuse with primary or secondary oocytes.
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