BIOL 346
Developmental Biology Course Page
Spring 2017 Syllabus (pdf)
Book: This book is required, but you don't need to get the loose leaf version
Course Description: This course will give you some basic understanding about the morphological changes that occur during the development of select animals, as well as the underlying molecular events that produce those morphological changes.
Learning Outcomes: When you have completed this course you will be able to describe, compare, and contrast the events of early development and morphogenesis in some animals. You will be able to give the details of the molecular mechanisms of cell-cell, cell-matrix, and tissue interactions during development. You will be able to explain how the common genetic makeup shared by all cells comprising an organism can be regulated to produce a large variety of cell types, and you will be able to explain how changes in developmental programs result in evolutionary change at the gross morphological level.
Course Resources
History
Slides
Aristotle, William Harvey, Marcello Malpighi; epigenesis and preformation (Warning! These readings are very philosophical) - reading 1, reading 2
Karl Ernst von Baer and Ernst Haeckel - reading 3, reading 4
Techniques
Slides 1 Slides 2
Article on chimaric woman who wasn't genetically related to her sons Another one
Transgenic organisms and knockouts - reading 1, reading 2
An example of a biotech company providing the tools discussed in lecture
Mircoarrays reading 3 reading 4
In situ hybridization reading 5
Cell Communication
Slides
Cadherins reading 1
Paracrine factors reading 2
Differential Gene Expression
Slides 1 Slides 2 Slides 3
Wikipedia summary - also use links within to get more info
Gametogenesis
Slides
Primordial germ cell migration movie1 movie2
Meiosis reading 1
Gametogenesis (simple) 2, 3
Fertilization
Slides
Sea Urchin reading 1, reading 2
Mammal reading 3
reading 4
Cleavage
Slides
reading 1, reading 2
Gastrulation
Slides
reading 1, reading 2 , reading 3
Extraembryonic Membranes
Slides
reading
Patterning
Slides
reading
Germ Layer Derivatives
Slides Ectoderm Mesoderm+Endoderm
Tetrapod Limb Development
Slides
reading 1, Example of a human with an extra limb, possibly due to a split limb field reading 2
Medical Implications of Developmental Biology
Slides 1 Slides2
Endocrine disruptors reading 1
Bisphenol A reading 2
Therapeutic cloning reading 3
Induced pluripotent stem cells reading 4
Evo-Devo
Slides
What is evo-devo? reading 1 , reading 2 , reading 3
Be careful in your reading, if you search for macroevolutionary change. "Macroevolution" is one of the buzzwords used by creationists and searching for this term brings up many creationist websites (e.g. talkorigins and icr=institute for creation research)
Movies, Animations and Lab Resources:
RU Nijmegen embryology web portal
Sea urchin development - click here and here and here
Frog development - click here, here, here, and here
Zebrafish development - click here
Chick primitive streak and gastrulation - click here, here Chick development here
Mammalian embryology - gastrulation here, embryos here
Human embryology - click here, here and here