Intensive examination of the recent literature in modern molecular studies of the development and differentiation of animal systems. Emphasis will be on molecular mechanisms which underlie basic developmental phenomena (3-0-0).

Lecture topics:

The course will consist of lectures and discussions of assigned papers on a range of topics. The specific topics will be drawn from current research fronts and controversies, and some will be selected by students. Topics will include a consideration of mechanisms of cellular specification and determination, establishment of axes of polarity, morphogen gradients and pattern formation, signaling systems involved in inductive interactions, multipotent stem cells, and gene regulatory networks in early embryos. Experimental approaches will be considered in some detail. Implications for macroevolution will be considered. Embryos of several animal species will be considered including frogs, mice, ascidians, sea urchins, nematodes, and Drosophila (the latter only in specialized contexts to reduce overlap with other courses).