What is Developmental Biology - Lecture 17

Question 1

What is a protostome?

Answer 1

Mouth forms first

Question 2

What is a deuterostome?

Answer 2

Mouth forms second

Question 3

What is dictyosteliium discoidum?

Answer 3

○ A single cell organism
○ Can live by itself or in a colony

Question 4

What are the advantages of using dictyosteliium discoidum as a model organism?

Answer 4

○ Chemotaxis: movement in response to a stimulus e.g. cAMP
○ Good genetics
○ Multicellularity
○ Good imaging
○ Sequenced genome
○ Transgenesis: can incorporate DNA into it
○ Social behaviour: cheating and altruism

Question 4

What is hydra?

Answer 4

○ Type of metazoan (animal)
○ Jelly-fish looking

Question 4

What are the advantages of using hydra as a model organism?

Answer 4

○ Small, easy to grow
○ Sexual and asexual reproduction
○ High regenerative capacity
○ Radial symmetry
○ Dipoblastic (two types of cells): ectoderm and endoderm

Question 5

What is planaria?

Answer 5

Flatworms

Question 6

What are the advantages of using planaria as a model organism?

Answer 6

○ Has adult stem cells (pluripotent)
○ Sexual and asexual reproduction
○ High regenerative capacity
○ RNAi knockdown technology
○ Bilateral symmetry
○ Tripoblastic (three cell types): ectoderm, mesoderm and endoderm

Question 7

What is caenorhabditis elgans?

Answer 7

Roundworms

Question 8

What are the advantages of using caenorhabditis elgans as a model organism?

Answer 8

○ Short generation time
○ Sexual and self-reproduction: males and hermaphrodotes (self-fertilised)
○ Genetics and transgenesis
○ RNAi knockdown technology
○ Sequenced genome
○ Can study ageing
○ Lineage of all cells known
○ Imaging

Question 9

What is drosophila melanogaster?

Answer 9

Fruit flies

Question 10

What are the advantages of using drosophila melanogaster as a model organism?

Answer 10

○ Short generation time
○ Genetics
○ Sequenced genome
○ Transgenesis
○ Imaging

Question 11

What is parhyale hawaiensis?

Answer 11

An amphipod crustacean (mini lobster)

Question 12

What are the advantages of using parhyale hawaiensis as a model organism?

Answer 12

○ Short generation time
○ Genetics
○ Sequenced genome
○ Transgenesis
○ Imaging
○ Adult appendage/limb regeneration

Question 13

What is strongylocentrotus purpuratus?

Answer 13

Sea urchins

Question 14

What are the advantages of using strongylocentrotus purpuratus as a model organism?

Answer 14

○ Imaging
○ Transparent embryos: similar fertilisation to humans
○ Injection of nucleic acids
○ Basal deuterostome: echinodermata (spiky skin)

Question 15

What are ciona intestinalis?

Answer 15

Vase tunicate

Question 16

What are the advantages of using ciona intestinalis as a model organism?

Answer 16

○ Transgenesis
○ Genetics
○ Sequenced genome
○ Imaging
○ Basal chordate: urochordate
○ Have a notochord

Question 17

What is brachiostoma ianceolatum?

Answer 17

Fish without a head

Question 18

What are the advantages of using brachiostoma ianceolatum as a model organism?

Answer 18

○ Sequenced genome
○ Basal chordate: cephalochordate (notochord that goes all the way to its head)

Question 19

What is danio rerio?

Answer 19

Zebrafish

Question 20

What are the advantages of using denio rerio as a model organism?

Answer 20

○ Genetics
○ Sequenced genome
○ Transgenesis
○ Imaging
○ Transparent embryos
○ Regeneration capacity
○ External development
○ Vertebrate

Question 21

What is a xenopus?

Answer 21

Frog

Question 22

What are the advantages of using xenopus as a model organism?

Answer 22

○ Experimental embryology
○ Sequenced genome
○ Transgenesis
○ Imaging
○ Tetrapod: 2 pairs of limbs
○ Regeneration capacity
○ External development
○ Large number of embryos

Question 23

What are the advantages of using newts and salamanders as model organisms?

Answer 23

○ Experimental embryology
○ High regeneration capacity in adults
○ External development
○ Sequenced genome
○ Transgenesis
○ Tetrapods

Question 24

What is gallus gallus?

Answer 24

Chickens

Question 25

What are the advantages of using gallus gallus as a model organism?

Answer 25

○ Transplatation experiements
○ Sequenced genome
○ Overexpression and knockdown experiments
○ Imaging

Question 26

What is mus musculus?

Answer 26

Mouse

Question 27

What are the advantages of using mus musculus as a model organism?

Answer 27

○ Strong genetics
○ Mammal
○ Sequenced genome
○ Pluripotent embryonic stem cells

Question 28

What are the advantages of using homo sapiens as a model organism?

Answer 28

○ Genetics
○ Mammals
○ Sequenced genome
○ Induced pluripotent embryonic stem cell