Gene Activity in Early Development

Gene Activity in Early Development
Author: Bozzano G Luisa
Publisher: Elsevier
Total Pages: 695
Release: 2012-12-02
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0323138438

The new third edition of Gene Activity in Early Development reflects the ten years of technological progress since the last edition. Providing a unique blend of classical and molecular knowledge, it discusses all major embryonic systems from both a comparative and mechanistic point of view. In deriving overall interpretations of developmental phenomena, it brings into play all the disparate forms of evidence, including genetic, molecular, and cytological.**This book is written for any serious student or scholar entering the field, whether his or her background is in genetics, molecular biology, or embryology.

Gene Activity in Early Development

Gene Activity in Early Development
Author: Eric H. Davidson
Publisher: Academic Press
Total Pages: 388
Release: 2014-06-28
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1483261476

Gene Activity in Early Development reviews the state of knowledge regarding genomic function in the programming and operation of what Bonnet, in 1762, described as "the miracle of epigenesis." The book is divided into four sections. Section I is concerned with gene activity in early embryogenesis, with the time of onset and the nature of embryo genome control, and with recent attempts to analyze the shifting patterns of gene expression as development proceeds. Section II reviews various classic and recent studies relevant to the phenomenon of cytoplasmic localization of morphogenetic potential and discusses the significance, from a contemporary vantage point, of this often neglected area of developmental biology. Section III deals with genomic function in oogenesis, beginning with a general survey of what could be described loosely as the natural history of the oocyte nucleus, and proceeding to current attempts to understand the character and the ultimate function of the oocyte gene products. Section IV discusses various aspects of the general problem of gene regulation in animal cells.

Maternal Control of Development in Vertebrates

Maternal Control of Development in Vertebrates
Author: Florence Louise Marlow
Publisher: Morgan & Claypool Publishers
Total Pages: 221
Release: 2010
Genre: Family & Relationships
ISBN: 161504051X

Eggs of all animals contain mRNAs and proteins that are supplied to or deposited in the egg as it develops during oogenesis. These maternal gene products regulate all aspects of oocyte development, and an embryo fully relies on these maternal gene products for all aspects of its early development, including fertilization, transitions between meiotic and mitotic cell cycles, and activation of its own genome. Given the diverse processes required to produce a developmentally competent egg and embryo, it is not surprising that maternal gene products are not only essential for normal embryonic development but also for fertility. This review provides an overview of fundamental aspects of oocyte and early embryonic development and the interference and genetic approaches that have provided access to maternally regulated aspects of vertebrate development. Some of the pathways and molecules highlighted in this review, in particular, Bmps, Wnts, small GTPases, cytoskeletal components, and cell cycle regulators, are well known and are essential regulators of multiple aspects of animal development, including oogenesis, early embryogenesis, organogenesis, and reproductive fitness of the adult animal. Specific examples of developmental processes under maternal control and the essential proteins will be explored in each chapter, and where known conserved aspects or divergent roles for these maternal regulators of early vertebrate development will be discussed throughout this review. Table of Contents: Introduction / Oogenesis: From Germline Stem Cells to Germline Cysts / Oocyte Polarity and the Embryonic Axes: The Balbiani Body, an Ancient Oocyte Asymmetry / Preparing Developmentally Competent Eggs / Egg Activation / Blocking Polyspermy / Cleavage/ Mitosis: Going Multicellular / Maternal-Zygotic Transition / Reprogramming: Epigenetic Modifications and Zygotic Genome Activation / Dorsal-Ventral Axis Formation before Zygotic Genome Activation in Zebrafish and Frogs / Maternal TGF-β and the Dorsal-Ventral Embryonic Axis / Maternal Control After Zygotic Genome Activation / Compensation by Stable Maternal Proteins / Maternal Contributions to Germline Establishment or Maintenance / Perspective / Acknowledgments / References

New Horizons in Health

New Horizons in Health
Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 225
Release: 2001-03-09
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0309072964

New Horizons in Health discusses how the National Institutes of Health (NIH) can integrate research in the social, behavioral, and biomedical sciences to better understand the causes of disease as well as interventions that promote health. It outlines a set of research priorities for consideration by the Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR), with particular attention to research that can support and complement the work of the National Institutes of Health. By addressing the range of interactions among social settings, behavioral patterns, and important health concerns, it highlights areas of scientific opportunity where significant investment is most likely to improve nationalâ€"and globalâ€"health outcomes. These opportunities will apply the knowledge and methods of the behavioral and social sciences to contemporary health needs, and give attention to the chief health concerns of the general public.

From Neurons to Neighborhoods

From Neurons to Neighborhoods
Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 610
Release: 2000-11-13
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0309069882

How we raise young children is one of today's most highly personalized and sharply politicized issues, in part because each of us can claim some level of "expertise." The debate has intensified as discoveries about our development-in the womb and in the first months and years-have reached the popular media. How can we use our burgeoning knowledge to assure the well-being of all young children, for their own sake as well as for the sake of our nation? Drawing from new findings, this book presents important conclusions about nature-versus-nurture, the impact of being born into a working family, the effect of politics on programs for children, the costs and benefits of intervention, and other issues. The committee issues a series of challenges to decision makers regarding the quality of child care, issues of racial and ethnic diversity, the integration of children's cognitive and emotional development, and more. Authoritative yet accessible, From Neurons to Neighborhoods presents the evidence about "brain wiring" and how kids learn to speak, think, and regulate their behavior. It examines the effect of the climate-family, child care, community-within which the child grows.

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: 347
Release: 2000-11-21
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 0309171806

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.

Molecular Aspects of Early Development

Molecular Aspects of Early Development
Author: George M. Malacinski
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 377
Release: 2012-12-06
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1468446282

The early embryo has emerged as the focal point for analysis of the regulation of gene expression for several reasons. First, the fact that embryogenesis is under genetic control has been appreciated from the earliest days of classical embryology. When experimental techniques became available it was therefore logical that they should be applied to the embryo. With each new advance in methodology, interest in embryonic gene expression studies has increased. Second, many embryos offer unique opportunities for the investigation of specific aspects of the regulation of gene expression. Several phenomena--eg. , control of translation--can be very conveniently studied in a variety of marine invertebrate embryos. Those embryos contain large stores of maternally inherited mRNA which are translated in a highly ordered fashion during specific stages of post fertilization development. Marine invertebrate eggs can be conveniently artifically inseminated and labeled with radioactive precursors. Their analysis is leading to important insights into the mechanisms which regulate gene expression at post-transcriptional levels. Third, recent advances in both transmission and recombinant DNA genetics, especially in organisms such as Drosophila, are providing special opportunities for the analysis of regulatory mechanisms which operate at the level of the genome. Specific genes have been identified, isolated, and--in some instances--sequenced. The opportunity is now available to study the regulation of the expression of single genes in a vertical fashion--from the primary sequence of the gene to the tissues and organs which are the products of morphogenesis.

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.