AIMS AND CONTENT

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

Attendance and participation in the planned training activities (lectures and laboratory activities) will allow the student to acquire the most important aspects of the developmental biology of several model organisms.

Specifically, the student will be able to:

1. know and describe the basic concepts of classic embryology, autonomous and regulative specification;

2. know and describe the formation of various tissues and the molecular signal important for their development and differentiation.

3. know how to distinguish and identify the developmental stages of different model organisms even just by looking at photos or using a stereomicroscope.

TEACHING METHODS

The course consists of frontal teaching and practical exercises in the laboratory at the stereomicroscope.
Lectures are carried out with the help of Powerpoint presentations.

The laboratory exercises will take place in a laboratory equipped with stereomicroscopes.
In particular, the exercises will be carried out individually with a stereomicroscope for the observation of several model embryos at different developmental stages provided by the teacher or prepared by the students themselves.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

Introduction to the module. Development of unicellular and colonial eukaryotes. Evolution of differentiation. Protostomes and Deuterostomes. Primordial Germ cell formation. Meiosis. Spermatogenesis. Oogenesis. Sperm and egg structure. Recognition between sperm and oocyte: attraction of the sperm, acrosome reaction, gamete fusion, and the prevention of polyspermy. Early and late activation of oocyte metabolism. Fertilization in mammals: sperm capacitation, acrosome reaction. The fusion of genetic material. Presumptive territories. Determination of cell fate. Mechanisms of cell differentiation. Mosaic and regulative development. Potential and gradients in the oocyte. Progressive determination of embryonic cells. Nieuwkoop Center and Speeman Organizer. Primary embryonic induction. Molecules involved in inductive interactions. Control of regional specificity.

Types of segmentation in Protostomes and Deuterostomes. Mechanisms of segmentation. Karyokinesis and cytokinesis. Types of gastrulation in Protostomes and Deuterostomes. Morphogenetic movements in gastrulation. Implantation processes of blastocysts in mammals including humans. Formation of extra-embryonic membranes in Vertebrates. Embryonic annexes. Types of the placenta in mammals including humans. Molecular control of embryonic sheets migration. Neurulation in Vertebrates. Morphogenesis of the central nervous system. Neural crests and their derivatives. Dorsal mesoderm and somites differentiation. Lateral plate mesoderm: myogenesis, angiogenesis, and hematopoiesis. Endoderm and its derivatives.

Eye development in vertebrates.

Primary and secondary sex determination in mammals. Environmental determination of sex. Post-embryonic development in Vertebrates. Metamorphosis and aging.

Embryonic and adult stem cells. Examples of tissue regeneration.

In vivo models for the study of human diseases.

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

All PowerPoint presentations of the theoretical and laboratory experiences and other teaching materials will be available on AulaWeb at the end of each cycle of laboratory lessons/exercises.

The book indicated is suggested as a support text, but students can still use other university books. The recommended text is available and available at the library of the M.F.N. and at the teacher: S.F. GILBERT and MJF Barresi, Developmental Biology. V ed. Zanichelli.

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

Exam Board

SIMONA CANDIANI (President)

CHIARA GENTILI (President)

LESSONS

Class schedule

The timetable for this course is available here: Portale EasyAcademy

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

oral exam

ASSESSMENT METHODS

Oral test with a practical test consisting in the recognition and description of the developmental stages of some vertebrates and vertebrates. The exam is aimed at assessing the knowledge of the fundamental elements of the subject and the ability to connect between the various topics.

Exam schedule

FURTHER INFORMATION

Attendance at lessons is strongly recommended and attendance at laboratories is mandatory for at least 70% of the hours.