THE MAIN OBJECTIVE OF THE COURSE IS TO PROVIDE THE BASIC KNOWLEDGE OF DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY AND ANATOMY OF THE VETEBRATE SUB PHYLUM, IN AN EVOLUTIONARY KEY. THE ANATOMICAL ORGANIZATION IS INTERPRETED IN THE ADAPTIVE AND EVOLULUTIONARY PERSPECTIVE. PRINCIPAL AIMS OF THE COURSE ARE THE FOLLOWING: (1) LEARNING AND APPLYING THE COMPARATIVE METHOD; (2) KNOWLEDGE OF THE MAJOR COMPONENTS OF THE DIVERSE SYSTEMS IN AN EVOLUTIONARY AND FUNCTIONAL PERSPECTIVE; 3) ACHIEVEMENT OF THE ABILITY TO OBSERVE, DESCRIBE AND REPORT. THE STUDENT WILL ACQUIRE BASIC KNOWLEDGE ON ANIMAL DEVELOPMENT, FROM GAMETOGENESIS TO ORGAN FORMATION. FUNDAMENTAL MOLECULAR MECHANISMS UNDERLYING DEVELOPMENTAL PROCESSES, SUCH AS CELL DIFFERENTIATION AND MORPHOGENESIS WILL BE APPROACHED. THE STUDENT WILL ACQUIRE THEORETICAL AND PRACTICAL COMPETENCE TO RECOGNIZE EMBRYONIC STRUCTURES OF VERTEBRATES AT THE MACROSCOPIC AND MICROSCOPIC LEVEL.
teacher profile teaching materials
Upon completion of this course the students acquire:
A) knowledge of the comparative method for studying animal development
B) an understanding of the basic embryological terminology, as it relates to formation of the functional systems of animal body.
C) advanced ability to observe and describe developmental stages, from gametogenesis to organogenesis, and their mechanics.
D) basic knowledge on the molecular mechanisms underlying developmental processes, as morphogenesis and differentiation.
E) competence to recognize embryonic structures of vertebrates and invertebrates, at the macroscopic and microscopic level.
From a single cell to a multicellular organism: differentiation and morphogenesis. Models in developmental biology. Sexual reproduction. Gametogenesis. Structural differences between egg and sperm cell. Fertilization: recognition and interaction of gametes. Sperm activation. Gamete fusion. Egg activation. Prevention of polispermy. Partenogenesis. Overview on the different developmental stages: cleavage, gastrulation, organogenesis. Egg types and respective cleavage patterns. Protostomes e deuterostomes. First stages of development of drosophila melanogaster, caenorhabditis elegans, paracentrotus lividus. Development of tunicates and cephalochordates. Development of the amphyoxus: radial cleavage, cellular mechanisms of gastrulation. Early organogenesis: neurulation. Amphibian development. Radial cleavage: macromeres e micromeres. Gastrulation: role of the gray crescent. First stages of organogenesis: primary and secondary neurulation. Fish development: discoidal segmentation. Gastrulation and first stages of organogenesis. Development in birds. Discoidal cleavage: epiblast and hypoblast. Gastrulation: primitive streak and hensen’s node. Neurulation and fate of neural crests. Formation of encephalic vescicles. Mesoderm and fate of its regions. Somatopleure and splanchnopleure. The coelom. Extraembryonic membranes: amnion, chorion, allantois and vitelline envelope. Mammalian development. Rotational cleavage. The blastocyst: trophoblast and inner cell mass. Epiblast and amniogenesis. Gastrulation: the primitive streak and node.placental types and their evolution. Neurulation and early differentiation of the neural tube. Examples of organogenetic processes. Development of the urogenital tract. Limb development in tetrapods. Regeneration. Embryonic and adult stem cells: general properties and features. Plant development: principal ontogenetic stages and regeneration of missing parts.
Giudice et al.: “Biologia dello Sviluppo”, Edises
Franquinet, Foucrier: “Atlante di Embriologia Descrittiva”, Edises
Gilbert: "Developmental Biology", 11th Edition, Sinauer Associates, Oxford University Press, 2017
Programme
The main objective of the course is to provide the basic knowledge of developmental biology, in an evolutionary key.Upon completion of this course the students acquire:
A) knowledge of the comparative method for studying animal development
B) an understanding of the basic embryological terminology, as it relates to formation of the functional systems of animal body.
C) advanced ability to observe and describe developmental stages, from gametogenesis to organogenesis, and their mechanics.
D) basic knowledge on the molecular mechanisms underlying developmental processes, as morphogenesis and differentiation.
E) competence to recognize embryonic structures of vertebrates and invertebrates, at the macroscopic and microscopic level.
From a single cell to a multicellular organism: differentiation and morphogenesis. Models in developmental biology. Sexual reproduction. Gametogenesis. Structural differences between egg and sperm cell. Fertilization: recognition and interaction of gametes. Sperm activation. Gamete fusion. Egg activation. Prevention of polispermy. Partenogenesis. Overview on the different developmental stages: cleavage, gastrulation, organogenesis. Egg types and respective cleavage patterns. Protostomes e deuterostomes. First stages of development of drosophila melanogaster, caenorhabditis elegans, paracentrotus lividus. Development of tunicates and cephalochordates. Development of the amphyoxus: radial cleavage, cellular mechanisms of gastrulation. Early organogenesis: neurulation. Amphibian development. Radial cleavage: macromeres e micromeres. Gastrulation: role of the gray crescent. First stages of organogenesis: primary and secondary neurulation. Fish development: discoidal segmentation. Gastrulation and first stages of organogenesis. Development in birds. Discoidal cleavage: epiblast and hypoblast. Gastrulation: primitive streak and hensen’s node. Neurulation and fate of neural crests. Formation of encephalic vescicles. Mesoderm and fate of its regions. Somatopleure and splanchnopleure. The coelom. Extraembryonic membranes: amnion, chorion, allantois and vitelline envelope. Mammalian development. Rotational cleavage. The blastocyst: trophoblast and inner cell mass. Epiblast and amniogenesis. Gastrulation: the primitive streak and node.placental types and their evolution. Neurulation and early differentiation of the neural tube. Examples of organogenetic processes. Development of the urogenital tract. Limb development in tetrapods. Regeneration. Embryonic and adult stem cells: general properties and features. Plant development: principal ontogenetic stages and regeneration of missing parts.
Core Documentation
Suggested textbooks:Giudice et al.: “Biologia dello Sviluppo”, Edises
Franquinet, Foucrier: “Atlante di Embriologia Descrittiva”, Edises
Gilbert: "Developmental Biology", 11th Edition, Sinauer Associates, Oxford University Press, 2017
Reference Bibliography
Booklets of lectures and lab sessions will also be provided. The instructor will be available every working day, from 10 am to 1 pm, even to provide further bibliographic references, on appointment by email: sandra.moreno@uniroma3.itType of delivery of the course
This course is delivered as interactive lectures and weekly laboratory sessions, which consolidate the concepts covered during the lectures. Theoretical and practical sessions will take advantage of PC and appropriate software, lab devices (microscopes, sterreomicroscopes), and experimental material (histological slides, plastic embryonic models).Type of evaluation
The oral exam will consist of a discussion with the instructor on the development of vertebrates and invertebrates. The following aspects will be evaluated: a) knowledge of developmental processes occurring in different model species, from both a mechanistic perspective and a molecular point of view b) ability to describe developmental stages, with special reference to appropriate terminology c) ability to use the comparative method in relating knowledge of developmental aspects in different taxa. The practical test will aim at evaluating the acquired competence in recognising embryonic structures in vertebrates and invertebrates. This test, performed either on histological slides, or photographic images, will account for 30% of the final grade. In itinere tests will also be administered, with no grading.