Syllabus

Course: Developmental Biology, Biology 402

Instructor: Dr. Ed Devlin

Website: http://people.hsc.edu/faculty-staff/edwardd/edsweb01/index.htm

Office: Gilmer 107, 6173, edevlin@hsc.edu

Course Objectives

This course is designed to provide a basic understanding of the principles of vertebrate development. Structurally-based embryology are no longer sufficient for our understanding of developmental principles. Developmental biology is an integrated field of study, you will find that the borders separating the disciplines of developmental biology, genetics, cell biology, biochemistry and molecular biology have become indistinct.

It appears that developmental pathways are very similar in diverse animal groups, and we will consider the biology of a number of commonly used model organisms. In this course we will a discussion of a number of current topics of relevance to the field, including human stem cell and embryo research. There are a number of practical reasons to study developmental biology. But perhaps most importantly we will attempt to glean from our studies, an appreciation of the elegant processes by which a single cell is transformed into a complex multicellular organism that is reading this syllabus.

Texts

Because of the complexity of the field, many of the popular texts in Developmental Biology are somewhat encyclopedic in nature. They contain a lot of material, but do not make for a very easy read. This semester I have found an excellent new textbook written specifically for an undergraduate audience. The book looks great and it should provide a useful supplement to the course lectures. The text we will be using is by Wilt and Hake. It is a 2004 book called Principles of Developmental Biology. WW Norton Company, New York. In addition to the textbook, which is required, a lab manual will be provided.

Laboratory

The laboratory is an integral part of the course. You will find it difficult to do well in the course without mastering the lab material and techniques. The laboratory consists of experiments using a variety of live animal systems including the sponge, sea urchin, zebrafish, Xenopus, Chick and Drosophila, as well as the examination of serial sections of prepared slides. Laboratory attendance is mandatory, you cannot receive a passing grade with any unexcused absences in the lab. I have written a lab manual that will be provided describing the experimental labs.

Grading

Four Lecture Exams 60%

Laboratory 20%

Reports and Quizzes (10%)

Paper and Presentation (10%)

Cumulative Final 20%

100%

Lecture Topics Chapters in Text

1. Introduction to Development 1

2. Methods of Study of Development 1

3. General Problems of Development 1

4. Gametogenesis 2

5. Introduction to Fertilization 2

6. Cellular Signaling During Fertilization 2

7. Stem Cell Case Study -

8. Stem Cell Case Study -

9. Drosophlia Early Development 3

10. Exam I -

11. Zebrafish Early Development -

12. Amphibian Gametogenesis and Fertilization 4

13. Amphibian Early Development 4

14. Amphibian Gastrulation 4

15. Early Development of Birds 5

16. Early Development of Mammals 5

17. Mammalian Gastrulation 5

18. Development of the Neural Plate 6

19. Neural Crest Cells 6

20. Exam II -

21. Special Topics, To Be Announced -

22. Introduction to Nervous System Development 6

23. Development of the Eyes 6

24. Dorsal Mesoderm 7

25. Lateral Mesoderm 7

26. Limb Development 7

27. Extracellular Matrix 12

28. Cell Junctions 12

29. Cell Signaling Case Study -

30. Cell Signaling Case Study -

31. Exam III -

32. Cell Adhesions 12

33. Cell Migrations 13

34. Kidney Morphogenesis 13

35. Morphogenesis During Sea Urchin Gastrulation 13

36. Introduction to Control of Gene Expression 14

37. Transcriptional Regulation 14

38. Translational Regulation 14

39. Signaling During Development 15

40. Morphogens 15

41. Exam IV -

42. Review -

Lab Schedule

Lab Topic

1. Cell Signaling in Dictyostelium

2. Fertilization - Sea Urchin

3. Microscopic Examination Fertilization and Cleavage

4. Early Zebrafish Development/Protein Fingerprinting I

5. Protein Fingerprinting II

6. Early Xenopus Development

7. Microscopic Examination of Heart Development

8. Library Research Due on Presentation Topics

9. Chick Heart Development

10. Satellite DNA

11. Cell Surface Glycoproteins and Sponge Reaggeration

12. Heat Shock Proteins and Chromosomal Puffing

13. Presentations I

14. Presentations II

Presentation/Paper

Each student is required to write a research paper and make a PowerPoint presentation on their research topic during one of the last two lab periods. The topic of the paper is one you select that deals with some aspect of developmental biology, embryonic development or teratogenesis (abnormal development). Your paper should take the format of a detailed literature review of some area of interest you have or that you develop during the semester.

You may start your literature search by looking at appropriate journals in our library. This should be followed by a computer literature search using the various one-line services available online. Note that most of the literature sources will not be found in our library and must be ordered in from surrounding libraries. Therefore it is very important to start your search as soon early in the semester as possible. Another aspect of this paper is that the literature used must be primary literature from refereed journals. While many online journals are available and may be used, many of the more common websites and references may not be used.

The format for the references you cite in your paper should follow the format used in the literature cited section of any of the major journals you have used. By mid-semester you should hand in a short general outline for your paper. Your papers are due the day of the final exam. A PowerPoint presentation of your paper will be given to the class in the last two weeks during lab. Any new ideas resulting from your presentation should be integrated into your final draft of your paper. If you want to start getting into the literature (and you should as soon as possible), a few relevant journals to be examined are listed below:

Anatomical Record Cell

Developmental Biology Fertility and Sterility

In Vitro In Vitro Toxicology

Journal of Cell Biology Journal of Embryology and Experimental Morphology

Journal of Experimental Zoology Journal of Morphology

Journal of Reproduction and Fertility Teratology

Development