Lecture 1 Flashcards
development
process of progressive and continual change resulting in the formation of a complex multicellular organism from a single cell
development biology
study of processes that govern embryonic and other development processes throughout an organism’s life
studied at morphological and molecular level
genotype
an organism’s genetic makeup
phenotype
an organism’s observable characteristics/traits (physical/behavioural)
Objectives of development (2)
Cellular diversity and order within an organism
Continuity of life from generation to generation
Early ideas
Unexplainable force (beyond physical and chemical forces) created living entity
All embryos existed from the very beginning of time; first embryo of a species contained all future embryos
Preformation theory – tiny humans (homunculus) preformed in embryo that got bigger as the embryo developed
Epigenesis – new structures arose progressively
Development of cell theory of life
mid 1800s
Cell is the basic unit of life
Living organisms made of cells
New cells formed by division of pre-existing cells
Germ cells
Give rise to an embryo and pass characteristics to next generation
Fertilization results in formation of a single cell (zygote) that carries material from both parents
Studying development (5 kinds of studies)
DCEMT
Descriptive Studies
Comparative Studies
Experimental Embryology
Molecular Biology
Transgenic Organisms
Descriptive Studies
what do you see w the naked eye? - Naked eye observations - Single lens magnifiers - Compound microscopes - Microscopic observations o Fluorescent microscopy – allows to observe processes in real time
Comparative studies
comparing stages, diff species, diff organisms
- As embryos grow the more their features/differences get more pronounced
- Start similar then diverge proof of common ancestor
- Comparing larval / embryonic stages can reveal ancestry (evolutionary embryology)
o Think barnacle and shrimp example
Von Baer’s Laws
- General features of a larger group of animals appear earlier in development than specialized features of a smaller group
a. i.e. early embryos appear very similar and the distinctive features appear only later in development - Feature get less and less general until the most specialized features appear
- As the embryo of a given species develops, it diverges from the adult form of other species
- Early embryo of a higher animal is never like an adult of lower animal but only like an early embryo
a. Human embryos never pass thru a stage that is equivalent to a fish or bird
Experimental Embryology (Developmental Studies)
• Modify normal developmental processes in order to study its underlying mechanisms
o What would happen if certain cells are killed?
Molecular Biology
how to manipulate DNA
- study of the molecular basis for the events happening during development
- when are the genes being expressed; which genes are being expressed
Transgenic Organisms
- We can make and induce the changes that we want in an organism
- Knock out gene and remove it and see what effect that has
- Use recombinant DNA technologies to introduce foreign DNA/genes and study the effects
o What happens when gene X is expressed in these cells?
Model organisms in development
Allow to study experimental effects under CONTROLLED environments