Developmental Biology

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

Taught as CELB 30010 "Animal Development" at host institution. The purpose of the course is to introduce students to the subject of animal development. The course describes the morphology of early development (from fertilization to gastrulation) in a number of animals and focuses on the molecular basis of antero-posterior patterning in early Drosophila embryos. It also covers germ cell specification, gametogenesis, sex determination and the role of cell-cell signalling in developmental processes. The course emphasises the concept of "differential gene expression from the same nuclear repertoire" (Gilbert, 2003) as a basic theme in development, and stresses the importance of experimental strategies for determination of gene expression. The course also emphasises the experimental significance of model organisms for study of developmental processes, and encourages students to critically assess the advantages and limitations of the most popular models.