Syllabus for Developmental Biology

Biology 373 – Spring 2009

Room 264 Reiss

TTh 5:40-6:55

 

 

Instructor:                                                                                            Assistant Instructors:

Professor Elena Casey                                                                    Andrew Verardo - grad student      

705 Reiss Science                                                                           Matt Lecuyer  - senior

emc26@georgetown.edu                                                                Lydia Fein      - senior          

                                                                                                                        

Office hours: Wednesday 2:45-4:45                                                                                                          

Reading Materials:

            Gilbert. Developmental Biology 8th edition

            Devbio [WEB] - website companion to Gilbert.  http://www.devbio.com/contents.php

            Vade mecum [VM] - Interactive CD

DBO [Web] - Developmental biology online. http://www.uoguelph.ca/zoology/devobio/dbindex.htm

             

Course Goals and Outline:

The goals of this course are

    • to learn the major morphological changes that occur in animals from the fusion of eggs and sperm to birth,
    • to understand how changes in gene expression can produce changes in developmental processes, and
    • to relate development to evolution.

 

The course is divided into 4 sections.  At the beginning of each section you will receive a study guide with assignments and questions for focused study. 

 

Section 1         Introduction to Developmental Biology

Lectures  1-5

Section 2         Cell Commitment to Particular Fate

                        Lectures  6-13

Section 3         Organ and Tissue Formation

                        Lectures  14-19

Section 4         Selected Topics

                        Lecture  20-23

 

Exams:

There will be three “midterm” examinations and 1 final cumulative exam. Your grade will be determined as follows:

 

·         Midterm exams …55%

  • Final Exam …35%     
  • Journal Article participation…10%
  • Extra credit will be given for in class participation.

 

Past exams have consisted of diagram identification, compare and contrast, short answer and essay questions. IMPORTANT NOTE: If you do not participate in an exam this means you receive a zero-score on that exam.  Make-up exams will be given only if you bring a physician's statement or evidence of some event beyond your control which compromised your preparation for or attendance at the scheduled exam (official documentation explaining why you were unable to participate will be required).  Such make-up exams may be oral. 

 

Course Grades: 

 

If the course mean at the end of the semester is 75%, grades will be assigned approximately as follows where 72-77 % is a B and a normalized distribution curve will be used.

 

Suggested Study Skills: Tests will strongly emphasize lecture material.  Assigned readings contain more material than will be covered in lecture.  During class pay attention and take complete and orderly notes. Very soon after class you should re-read the text material along with your notes. You may find you missed something in lecture or the text. Make frequent use of your text glossary and index for further explanations on a subject you still don't understand. Feel free to ask the instructor or TA to clear up any questions you may still have.

 

Amount of Work Expected:

For each semester hour of credit that a Biological Sciences course carries, students should expect to spend a minimum of two hours per week out-of-class time preparing for class sessions.  A three-semester-hour course should be expected to require six hours per week of out-of-class preparation.  If you do not spend this much time this may be reflected in your grade.

 

 

 

 

 

Please omit Sidelights & Speculations (S&S) sections unless instructed otherwise.

Section 1: Introduction to developmental biology

Foundation  - What are some of the important principles?

 

 

Lecture

Date

Topic

Chapter

Reading

Web

 

1

 

TR

1/08

 

Course Goals

Life cycles

 

 

1/2

 

pp 3-5, 8 -10, 25 -30

42-47

 

 

 

 

2

 

 

T 1/13

 

 

Experimental Embryology:

Cell specification,

and Gradients

 

 

 

3/6

 

pp 53 -67,

81-85,

10 -13

 

 

 

3.3

 

3

 

1/15

 

 

Genetic Techniques

 

 

4

 

pp 86-99

 

 

4.6, 4.7, 4.8

 

 

 

1/20

 

        Inauguration day

 

 

4

 

1/22

 

 

Differential gene expression

 

5

 

All

 

 

 

5.2, 5.4, 5.7

 

 

5

 

 

1/27

 

 

 

Cell-cell communication

 

 

 

6

 

 

All

 

6.3,

[VM]- cyclopia induced in a zebrafish

 

 

 

 

1/29

 

Catch up and

Review

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2/03

 

                 Exam I

 

 

 

 

Section 2: Cell commitment to a particular fate

How do cells know what to become, where to go, and what to do when they get there?

 

 

6

2/05

 

Fertilization

 

 

7

pp175-209

 

[VM]

Gametogenesis,

Fertilization

 

 

7

 

2/10

 

Drosophila body plan

Focus on A-P axis

 

9

 

pp 252-259;

266-289

 

[VM] Drosophila development

 

 

8

 

2/12

 

Drosophila body plan

Homeotic genes

 

 

9

 

 

Group I

Journal article

 

 

9.7

 

9

 

2/17

 

Cleavage and Cell adhesion

 

 

 

pp 67-75

164-171

 

6.7, http://www.ucalgary.ca/UofC/eduweb/virtualembryo/adhesion.html

 

 

10

 

 

2/19

 

Early development of Sea urchins and Amphibians

 

 

 

8/10

 

 

pp 215 -229;

291-302

 

 

[VM] Amphibian development

 

 

11

 

2/24

 

Early development of  birds and mammals

 

 

11

 

pp 336-342;

348-358

 

11.3, 11.4, [VM] Chick development

 

12

 

 

2/26

 

Axis formation

 

 

10

 

 

pp 306-324,   343-348

 

 

13

 

3/03

 

 

Catch up and review

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3/05

 

Midterm EXAM II

Lectures 6 through 13

 

 

 

3-07 to

3-15

 

                                         SPRING BREAK

 

 

Section 3: Organ and Tissue Formation

How are the brain and the skin derived from same germ layer?

 

 

 

14

 

 

3/17

 

 

Nervous system

 

 

 

12

 

Group II

Journal article

pp 391-402

 

 

 

[VM] chick early

 

15

 

3/19

 

Other ectodermal derivatives

 

 

12/13

 

TBA

 

 

16

 

3/24

 

 

Mesodermal derivatives

 

 

 

 

pp 400-424

 

 

 

17

 

3/26

 

 

Heart

 

 

14

 

All

 

 

 

 

18

 

 

3/31

 

 

 

Endoderm

 

 

 

15

 

Group III

Journal club

pp 471-485, 493-504

 

 

 

 

 

19

 

4/02

 

 

Catch up and review

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4/07

 

Midterm exam III

Lectures 14 through 19

 

 

 

4/09

                                          EASTER BREAK

 

 

 

 

Section 4: Selected Topics

 

 

20

 

4/14

 

Stem cells

 

 

 

 

S&S

599-601

 

 

TBA

http://stemcells.nih.gov/research/nihresearch/scunit/

 

21

 

 

4/16

 

Cancer

 

 

TBA

 

Review article

 

 

 

22

 

 

4/21

 

 

Medical implications of Developmental Biology

 

 

21

 

pp 575-592,

739-745 including

S &S

 

 

 

21.4

 

23

 

4/23

 

Evolution

 

23

 

All

 

 

23.6, 23.8, 23.11

 

 

 

4/28

 

Review

 

 

 

Group IV

Journal

article

 

 

 

 

4/29

 

Study days begin

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5/5

 

 

Tuesday 7-9 PM

Cumulative Final Examination