Scientific Frontiers in Developmental Toxicology and Risk Assessment

Scientific Frontiers in Developmental Toxicology and Risk Assessment
Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 348
Release: 2000-12-21
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 0309070864

Scientific Frontiers in Developmental Toxicology and Risk Assessment reviews advances made during the last 10-15 years in fields such as developmental biology, molecular biology, and genetics. It describes a novel approach for how these advances might be used in combination with existing methodologies to further the understanding of mechanisms of developmental toxicity, to improve the assessment of chemicals for their ability to cause developmental toxicity, and to improve risk assessment for developmental defects. For example, based on the recent advances, even the smallest, simplest laboratory animals such as the fruit fly, roundworm, and zebrafish might be able to serve as developmental toxicological models for human biological systems. Use of such organisms might allow for rapid and inexpensive testing of large numbers of chemicals for their potential to cause developmental toxicity; presently, there are little or no developmental toxicity data available for the majority of natural and manufactured chemicals in use. This new approach to developmental toxicology and risk assessment will require simultaneous research on several fronts by experts from multiple scientific disciplines, including developmental toxicologists, developmental biologists, geneticists, epidemiologists, and biostatisticians.

Advances in Developmental Biochemistry

Advances in Developmental Biochemistry
Author: Paul Wassarman
Publisher: Elsevier
Total Pages: 201
Release: 1995-04-05
Genre: Science
ISBN: 008087679X

Volume 3 of Advances in Developmental Biology and Biochemistry consists of five chapters that review specific aspects of mammalian and fly development. In Chapter 1, D. Chapman and D. Wolgemuth discuss the role of protein kinases, especially tyrosine-and serine/threonine kinases, in regulating cell cycle events during mammalian gametogenesis. IN Chapter 2, M. Lundell and J. Hirsh discuss the regulation of the DOPA decarboxylase gene during Drosophila development. DO PA decarboxylase is a key enzyme in biogenic amine biosynthesis and its expression is subject to both transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulation. In Chapter 3, S. Potter discusses the role of homeobox genes as master switches determining the developmental destinies of groups of cells during murine development. In Chapter 4, G. Cooper discusses the expression and function of the c-mos proto-oncogene in mammalian germ cells where it plays a central role in regulating the meiotic cell cycle. In Chapter 5, F. Beermann, R. Ganß, and G. Schütz discuss the regulation of pigmentation during mammalian development, with emphasis on the production of melanin in mouse melanocytes.

Planar Cell Polarization during Development

Planar Cell Polarization during Development
Author: Marek Mlodzik
Publisher: Elsevier
Total Pages: 183
Release: 2005-08-02
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0080458610

Cellular polarization is key to all cellular functions. Our perceptions, which are derived from our senses, depend on the proper cellular polarization of our sense organs, such as the eyes or ears. Much of this book examines the different aspects in cellular polarization and its researched role in the Drosophila, where the first planar cellular polarity (PCP) gene was discovered over 20 years ago. Topics also include: From flies to man: how we are polarized, Marking an embryo work, Cellular polarization at its functional best, Hearing and seeing your environment, and From a cell to an organ.This series represents timely issues in developmental biology. It provides annual reviews of selected topics, written from the perspectives of leading investigators in the field of development.* Presents many various organisms such as flies, fish, frogs and mice* Offers over 40 exceptional illustrations* First of its kind to include new data and detailed models on cell planar polarization

Extracellular Matrix in Development and Disease

Extracellular Matrix in Development and Disease
Author: Jeffrey H. Miner
Publisher: Elsevier
Total Pages: 268
Release: 2005-11-18
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9780444518460

Extracellular matrix proteins are serious, common human diseases that are caused by mutations in genes that encode these proteins. This has spurred a great number of researchers to study the extracellular matrix, sometimes by choice and sometimes by necessity. Much progress has been made in the last decade towards understanding what matrix proteins do and how cells interact with and respond to them. Volume 15 is a compilation of reviews by experts in their respective fields. The chapters in this book address the biology of a broad spectrum of extracellular matrix molecules and their functions in development and disease. This book has been designed to focus on a diverse subset of matrix proteins that have been shown to be important for development, function, and disease. The book therefore both presents a broad view of the field and provides crucial details about some of the best-studied matrix molecules. * Written by leaders in the field * Discusses the potential of matrix components to be used as therapeutic tools for the treatment and prevention of cancer * Offers a section on integrin signaling and the development of the central nervous system, detailing the migration of neurons and the glia * Covers a diverse array of molecules such as laminins, collagens, heparan sulfate proteoglycans, integrins, and more

Advances in Developmental Biology

Advances in Developmental Biology
Author: Paul Wassarman
Publisher: Elsevier
Total Pages: 281
Release: 1996-06-25
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0080876803

Volume 4 of Advances in Developmental Biology and Biochemistry consists of five chapters that review specific aspects of fly and mammalian development. In Chapter 1, Y. Mishina and R. Behringer discuss various aspects of Müllerian-inhibiting substance (MIS) in mammals, from a brief history of its discovery to recent studies of the MIS gene in transgenic and knock-out animals. In Chapter 2, C. Rushlow and S. Roth discuss the role of the dpp-group genes in dorsoventral patterning of the Drosophila embryo. In Chapter 3, M. Yip and H. Lipshitz discuss the terminal (asegmental termini) gene hierarchy of Drosophila and the genetic control of tissue specification and morphogenesis. In Chapter 4, R. Bachvarova discusses induction of mesoderm and the origin of anterior-posterior polarity in the mouse embryo, using the frog embryo as a paradigm. In Chapter 5, P. Vogt discusses human Y chromosome function in male germ cell development.

Gene Expression at the Beginning of Animal Development

Gene Expression at the Beginning of Animal Development
Author: M.L. DePamphilis
Publisher: Elsevier
Total Pages: 300
Release: 2002-09-30
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 9780444510488

The beginning of life may be a miracle to some, and a mystery to others, but it is certainly one of the most exciting and perhaps controversial fields of scientific investigation in the 21st century. Among the metazoa, life begins when an egg is fertilized by a sperm. The sperm provides a genetic blueprint from the father and perhaps some critical proteins. The egg provides a genetic blueprint from the mother together with a large reservoir of mRNAs and proteins that are required for DNA replication, cell division and the onset of zygotic gene expression. All of the thousands of genes in these two mature gametes are transcriptionally silent and remain so until fertilization. This work focuses on three biological systems, providing the reader with a clear understanding of the current state of affairs, and the ability to identify common principles as well as critical differences that are responsible for beginning the process of animal development. The essays presented will be of practical value to all those who are interested in improving fertilization in vitro, in designing novel methods of contraception, in developing preimplantation genetic diagnosis for various diseases, in cloning animals by transplanting nuclei from adult cells to an enucleated egg, and in the application of embryonic stem cells to curing genetic diseases or replacing damaged tissues. But above all, this volume is offered to those who simply have an insatiable curiosity about life and its beginnings.

Murine Homeobox Gene Control of Embryonic Patterning and Organogenesis

Murine Homeobox Gene Control of Embryonic Patterning and Organogenesis
Author: Thomas Lufkin
Publisher: Elsevier
Total Pages: 265
Release: 2003-12-03
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0080497357

The first homeobox gene was molecular cloned nearly two decades ago, and since that time tremendous progress has been made in our understanding of the distribution of homeobox genes in the genomes of many animal species and the common functional role the encoded homeodomains play in cell-type specification, morphogenesis and development.The amino acid sequence of the homeodomain, as well as the presence of other conserved protein domains, has allowed the classification of homeodomain-containing proteins (homeoproteins) into over thirty separate families (e.g. Hox, Dlx, Msx, Otx, Hmx, Cdx etc.). In many cases a single gene has been shown to fully direct the morphogenesis and development of a complex tissue, organ or even an entire body segment. Yet how this "master" regulatory ability of homeoproteins functions at the molecular level to a large degree still remains a mystery, in part owing to our limited understanding of the nature of both homeoprotein transcriptional cofactors and even more elusively, the downstream targets of homeoprotein function. In the reviews presented here it is limited primarily to what has been learned in vertebrate systems, principally focusing on the mouse, owing to the strengths of the technical approaches currently existing in murine developmental genetics that are not yet available to the same degree in other vertebrate species. Despite this mammalian predilection, a common thread to each of these reviews is the underlying importance of what has been learned about homeoprotein function in other animal species, particularly arthropods like Drosophila.

Mammalian Development

Mammalian Development
Author: Patrick P. L. Tam
Publisher:
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2013
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9781936113248

"A subject collection from Cold Spring Harbor perspectives in biology."

Developmental Biology and Musculoskeletal Tissue Engineering

Developmental Biology and Musculoskeletal Tissue Engineering
Author: Martin J. Stoddart
Publisher: Academic Press
Total Pages: 272
Release: 2018-04-24
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 0128115386

Developmental Biology and Musculoskeletal Tissue Engineering: Principles and Applications focuses on the regeneration of orthopedic tissue, drawing upon expertise from developmental biologists specializing in orthopedic tissues and tissue engineers who have used and applied developmental biology approaches. Musculoskeletal tissues have an inherently poor repair capacity, and thus biologically-based treatments that can recapitulate the native tissue properties are desirable. Cell- and tissue-based therapies are gaining ground, but basic principles still need to be addressed to ensure successful development of clinical treatments. Written as a source of information for practitioners and those with a nascent interest, it provides background information and state-of-the-art solutions and technologies. Recent developments in orthopedic tissue engineering have sought to recapitulate developmental processes for tissue repair and regeneration, and such developmental-biology based approaches are also likely to be extremely amenable for use with more primitive stem cells. - Brings the fields of tissue engineering and developmental biology together to explore the potential for regenerative medicine-based research to contribute to enhanced clinical outcomes - Initial chapters provide an outline of the development of the musculoskeletal system in general, and later chapters focus on specific tissues - Addresses the effect of mechanical forces on the musculoskeletal system during development and the relevance of these processes to tissue engineering - Discusses the role of genes in the development of musculoskeletal tissues and their potential use in tissue engineering - Describes how developmental biology is being used to influence and guide tissue engineering approaches for cartilage, bone, disc, and tendon repair

Developmental Biology: A Very Short Introduction

Developmental Biology: A Very Short Introduction
Author: Lewis Wolpert
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 153
Release: 2011-08-25
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0199601194

"A concise account of what we know about development discusses the first vital steps of growth and explores one of the liveliest areas of scientific research."--P. [2] of cover.