Instructor: Michael J. Smith, SSB 7155, Office Hours: 1:30-2:30, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday
Teaching Assistant: T.B.A.
Course Prerequisites: BICH 222; BISC 202 with C- or better.
Required Text: "Developmental Biology" 6th Edition. 2000, by Scott Gilbert; Sinauer Assoc. Publ.
NOTE: THIS IS A COMPLETELY REVISED NEW EDITION OF THE TEXT BOOK.
Exam Schedule: There are three equally weighted midterm exams with no final exam. Each midterm is independent of the previously examined material.
Midterm I - Monday May 29
Midterm I - Wednesday June 28
Midterm III - Monday July 31
Reading Assignments: A detailed reading list will be given from the following Chapters on the first day of lectures. The students are expected to read all of the assignments and will be held responsible for the material. Additional reading may be assigned during the lectures.
The reading will be selected from the following chapters and lectures will be presented in the following sequence:
Ch. 1. Developmental Biology: The Anatomical Tradition
Ch. 2. Life Cycles and the Evolution of Developmental Patterns
Ch. 3. Principles of Experimental Embryology
Ch. 4. Genes and Development: Techniques and Ethical Issues
Ch. 5. The Genetic Core of Development: Differential Gene Expression
Ch. 7. Fertilization: Beginning a New Organism
Ch. 8. Early Development in Selected Invertebrates
Ch. 9. The Genetics of Axis Specification in Drosophila
Ch. 6. CellCell Communication in Development
Ch. 10. Early Development and Axis Formation in Amphibians
Ch. 11. The Early Development of Vertebrates: Fish, Birds, and Mammals
Ch. 19. The Saga of the Germ Line
This course is a detailed examination of the modern developmental biology with emphasis on early animal development. Topics will include gametogenesis, fertilization, early embryology, and axis formation in a range of model animal systems. In addition to classical embryological studies, the course emphasizes the use of molecular and genetic tools to explain the processes of development.