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.

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

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.

Cell Movements

Cell Movements
Author: Dennis Bray
Publisher: Garland Science
Total Pages: 396
Release: 2001
Genre: Cells
ISBN: 9780815332824

This book vividly describes how complex and integrated movements can arise from the properties and behaviors of biological molecules. It provides a uniquely integrated account in which the latest findings from biophysics and molecular biology are put into the context of living cells. This second edition is updated throughout with recent advances in the field and has a completely revised and redrawn art program. The text is suitable for advanced undergraduates, graduate students, and for professionals wishing for an overview of this field.

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.

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."

Genetic Twists of Fate

Genetic Twists of Fate
Author: Stanley Fields
Publisher: MIT Press
Total Pages: 235
Release: 2010-09-24
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0262289008

How tiny variations in our personal DNA can determine how we look, how we behave, how we get sick, and how we get well. News stories report almost daily on the remarkable progress scientists are making in unraveling the genetic basis of disease and behavior. Meanwhile, new technologies are rapidly reducing the cost of reading someone's personal DNA (all six billion letters of it). Within the next ten years, hospitals may present parents with their newborn's complete DNA code along with her footprints and APGAR score. In Genetic Twists of Fate, distinguished geneticists Stanley Fields and Mark Johnston help us make sense of the genetic revolution that is upon us. Fields and Johnston tell real life stories that hinge on the inheritance of one tiny change rather than another in an individual's DNA: a mother wrongly accused of poisoning her young son when the true killer was a genetic disorder; the screen siren who could no longer remember her lines because of Alzheimer's disease; and the president who was treated with rat poison to prevent another heart attack. In an engaging and accessible style, Fields and Johnston explain what our personal DNA code is, how a few differences in its long list of DNA letters makes each of us unique, and how that code influences our appearance, our behavior, and our risk for such common diseases as diabetes or cancer.

Biology for AP ® Courses

Biology for AP ® Courses
Author: Julianne Zedalis
Publisher:
Total Pages: 1923
Release: 2017-10-16
Genre: Biology
ISBN: 9781947172401

Biology for AP® courses covers the scope and sequence requirements of a typical two-semester Advanced Placement® biology course. The text provides comprehensive coverage of foundational research and core biology concepts through an evolutionary lens. Biology for AP® Courses was designed to meet and exceed the requirements of the College Board’s AP® Biology framework while allowing significant flexibility for instructors. Each section of the book includes an introduction based on the AP® curriculum and includes rich features that engage students in scientific practice and AP® test preparation; it also highlights careers and research opportunities in biological sciences.

Understanding Development

Understanding Development
Author: Alessandro Minelli
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 205
Release: 2021-05-20
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1108836771

Using familiar examples and clear arguments, this volume offers fresh alternatives to widespread misconceptions about biological development.