Human Birth Defects, and Disease?
An important advance in the past decade is the demonstration that genes
that regulate developmental processes in invertebrate species have important
developmental functions in vertebrates. The wealth of information concerning
the molecular genetic processes that regulate development in various animals
demonstrates that developmental programs and biological processes are high-
ly conserved, albeit not identical, from yeast to human. Indeed, the Human
Genome Project has made it possible to identify the homologues in humans
and demonstrate that many of these regulatory genes underlie human develop-
mental disorders and aspects of adult diseases in which differentiation pro-
cesses go awry. Currently, researchers are studying the fundamentals of online classes
developmental processes in the appropriate animal model and screening
humans for mutations in the genes identified by the basic research to be likely
causative candidates. Researchers are mutagenizing vertebrate animal models
and screening for mutants that resemble known human syndromes. This
cross-fertilization of fields is also impacting concepts in evolutionary biology,
xii PREFACEleading to a better understanding of “ancestral” species via gene expression
profiles, and paradigms in stem cell biology in which naı ¨ve cells may be direct-
ed to “designer” lineages. download medical book
Most recently, there have been significant technological advances in
genetic, genomic, and protein expression analyses that are having a major
impact on experimental approaches and analytic design. The intersection of
developmental biology with these technologies offers a new view of develop-
mental genetics that is only beginning to be exploited. It is this new intersec-
tion at the onset of the genomic era that is the focus of this book. The book is
organized into sections focused on different aspects of developmental genetics.
Section I discusses the impact of new genetic and genomic technologies on
development, stem cell biology, evolutionary biology, and understanding
human birth defects. Section II discusses several major events in early embryo-
genesis, fate determination, and patterning, including cellular determinants
(Boveri revisited?), gene cascades regulating embryonic axis formation, signal-
ing molecules and transcription factors that regulate pattern formation, and
the induction of the primary germ layers (ectoderm, mesoderm, and endo- clinical cases
derm). Section III describes the reorganization of the embryo via different
types of morphogenetic and cellular movements that result in the foundation
of organ systems, and discusses the many signaling and adhesion molecules
that are involved in regulating these complex processes. The final three sec-
tions focus on the signaling cascades and transcriptional pathways that regu-
late organogenesis in representative systems derived from the embryonic
ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm. These chapters illustrate how embryonic
rudiments become organized into adult tissues, and how defects in these pro-
cesses can result in congenital defects or disease. Each chapter demonstrates
the usefulness of studying model organisms and discusses how this informa-
tion applies to normal human development and clinical disorders. Several
chapters also discuss the utility of stem cells to repair damaged organs and
the application of developmental genetics to the manipulation of stem cells
for regenerative medicine. undergraduate medical
that regulate developmental processes in invertebrate species have important
developmental functions in vertebrates. The wealth of information concerning
the molecular genetic processes that regulate development in various animals
demonstrates that developmental programs and biological processes are high-
ly conserved, albeit not identical, from yeast to human. Indeed, the Human
Genome Project has made it possible to identify the homologues in humans
and demonstrate that many of these regulatory genes underlie human develop-
mental disorders and aspects of adult diseases in which differentiation pro-
cesses go awry. Currently, researchers are studying the fundamentals of online classes
developmental processes in the appropriate animal model and screening
humans for mutations in the genes identified by the basic research to be likely
causative candidates. Researchers are mutagenizing vertebrate animal models
and screening for mutants that resemble known human syndromes. This
cross-fertilization of fields is also impacting concepts in evolutionary biology,
xii PREFACEleading to a better understanding of “ancestral” species via gene expression
profiles, and paradigms in stem cell biology in which naı ¨ve cells may be direct-
ed to “designer” lineages. download medical book
Most recently, there have been significant technological advances in
genetic, genomic, and protein expression analyses that are having a major
impact on experimental approaches and analytic design. The intersection of
developmental biology with these technologies offers a new view of develop-
mental genetics that is only beginning to be exploited. It is this new intersec-
tion at the onset of the genomic era that is the focus of this book. The book is
organized into sections focused on different aspects of developmental genetics.
Section I discusses the impact of new genetic and genomic technologies on
development, stem cell biology, evolutionary biology, and understanding
human birth defects. Section II discusses several major events in early embryo-
genesis, fate determination, and patterning, including cellular determinants
(Boveri revisited?), gene cascades regulating embryonic axis formation, signal-
ing molecules and transcription factors that regulate pattern formation, and
the induction of the primary germ layers (ectoderm, mesoderm, and endo- clinical cases
derm). Section III describes the reorganization of the embryo via different
types of morphogenetic and cellular movements that result in the foundation
of organ systems, and discusses the many signaling and adhesion molecules
that are involved in regulating these complex processes. The final three sec-
tions focus on the signaling cascades and transcriptional pathways that regu-
late organogenesis in representative systems derived from the embryonic
ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm. These chapters illustrate how embryonic
rudiments become organized into adult tissues, and how defects in these pro-
cesses can result in congenital defects or disease. Each chapter demonstrates
the usefulness of studying model organisms and discusses how this informa-
tion applies to normal human development and clinical disorders. Several
chapters also discuss the utility of stem cells to repair damaged organs and
the application of developmental genetics to the manipulation of stem cells
for regenerative medicine. undergraduate medical