Università Roma Tre

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.

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

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.

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