ECTS
5 credits
Component
Faculty of Science
Description
-A general introduction to developmental biology
How do cells build a multicellular animal organism from a single genome? Genotype/phenotype relationship.
-Genetic analysis reminders
Nature of mutations (loss-of-function; gain-of-function), notion of "master gene", clonal analysis (generation of somatic or germinal clones), notion of cell autonomy ....
-Genetic models and methods.
Study of regulatory regions, establishment of transgenic lines, enhancer trap, reporter genes (GFP, mCherry...), model organisms (drosophila, c.elegans, mice...).Use of FLP/FRT, CRE-LOX, UAS-GAL4-GAL80, AttpP/B-PhiC31, CRISPR etc.
-Positional information, maternal effect genes and the establishment of assymetry.
Models and mechanisms of positional information =induction, Spemann and Mangold experiment, organizing centers, notion of morphogen in invertebrates and vertebrates
-Establishment of the axes: antero-posterior, dorso-ventral.
Genetic screens: genes with maternal effects and genes with zygotic effects.Cellular communication and signaling pathways: in the establishment of the dorso-ventral axis, in the formation of limbs, in the establishment of cell fate (some examples: Nervous system: lateral inhibition process ...).
-Segmentation: the gap, pair rule and segmental polarity genes.
Segmentation in invertebrates and somitogenesis in vertebrates, dynamic aspects (establishment and maintenance).
-Signaling and transcriptional networks
Transcriptional regulations during development, regulatory sequences during evolution, concept of gene networks. Transcriptional coupling and signaling pathways in cell fate
-The memory of transcriptional programs by epigenetic mechanisms:
Hox homeotic genes and segmental identity.Evo-Devo concepts.Polycomb and Trithorax complexes.
Involvement of epigenetic mechanisms during cell differentiation
Objectives
Animal development from gamete formation to the adult stage is under the control of a highly controlled genetic program.
The objective of this course is to present the fundamental processes that govern animal development.
Necessary pre-requisites
Classical genetics
Concepts of genetic analysis
Molecular biology
Cellular biology
Recommended prerequisites:
Functional genomics
Knowledge control
CT: 3h
CC: Analysis of article figures.30% of final grade. Max rule.