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Developmental Biology

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Foundations of Developmental Biology

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  • What is developmental biology?

  • Key questions: How do complex organisms form from a single cell?

  • Overview of model organisms (e.g., Drosophila, C. elegans, zebrafish, frog, mouse)

  • Historical perspective and key discoveries

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Chapter 2: Gametogenesis and Fertilization

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  • Spermatogenesis and oogenesis (brief, not molecular detail)

  • Egg and sperm structure

  • Fertilization steps: recognition, fusion, activation of development

  • Species-specific barriers and block to polyspermy

 

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Chapter 3: Cleavage and Blastulation

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  • Patterns of cleavage (holoblastic, meroblastic, radial, spiral)

  • Blastula structure

  • Differences across animal groups

  • Role of maternal determinants and cytoplasmic localization

 

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Chapter 4: Gastrulation and Germ Layer Formation

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  • Major cell movements: invagination, involution, epiboly, ingression

  • Formation of ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm

  • Concept of body axes starting to emerge

  • Role of the blastopore

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Chapter 5: Axis Formation and Body Plan Specification

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  • Anterior-posterior, dorsal-ventral, left-right axes

  • Organizer regions (e.g. Spemann-Mangold organizer)

  • Role of β-catenin and Nieuwkoop center (intro level)

  • Asymmetry and symmetry breaking mechanisms

 

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Chapter 6: Cell Fate, Determination, and Differentiation

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  • Concepts: potency, commitment, specification

  • Autonomous vs. conditional specification

  • Inductive interactions and morphogens

  • Cell lineage tracing and fate maps

 

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Chapter 7: Pattern Formation and Morphogens

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  • What is a morphogen?

  • French Flag Model

  • Gradient-based signaling (Sonic Hedgehog, BMP, Wnt)

  • Interpretation of positional information

  • Segmentation and polarity (Drosophila example)

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Chapter 8: Organogenesis

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  • Neurulation and formation of the neural tube

  • Somite segmentation

  • Eye, heart, and limb development (basic overview)

  • Apoptosis in shaping structures (e.g., fingers)

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Chapter 9: Stem Cells and Regeneration

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  • Types of stem cells: totipotent, pluripotent, multipotent

  • Embryonic vs. adult stem cells

  • Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs)

  • Examples of regeneration (planarians, amphibians, humans)

 

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Chapter 10: Growth Control and Timing

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  • Regulation of growth: size, shape, timing

  • Heterochrony (change in developmental timing)

  • Allometry and growth rates of organs

  • Hormonal influence on development

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Chapter 11: Evolution and Development 

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  • Deep homology and genetic toolkits

  • Modularity in development

  • Hox genes and evolution of body plans

  • Changes in timing/placement of gene expression across species

 

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Chapter 12: Developmental Disorders and Teratology

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  • Congenital abnormalities

  • Teratogens: drugs, alcohol, radiation

  • Neural tube defects

  • Environmental vs. genetic causes

 

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Chapter 13: Techniques in Developmental Biology

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  • Fate mapping and lineage tracing

  • In situ hybridization

  • Gene knockouts and transgenics (brief, focused on developmental use)

  • CRISPR in embryonic systems

  • Time-lapse imaging and fluorescent reporters

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