Developmental Biology

Catalog description

This course explores how the transition from a single-celled, fertilized egg to a multicellular animal is accomplished, emphasizing the dynamic interactions that occur on the molecular level to tightly control developmental processes. Topics include mechanisms of cell fate and differentiation, the molecular basis of differential gene expression, analysis of the molecular cues regulating body axis formation, and the development of various specific structures in different experimental organisms. The laboratory for the course consists of experiments that focus on the influence of gene function on development. We will do experiments that allow us to observe expression patterns of important genes in development and we will study the effects of perturbing gene function during development.