Developmental Biology -Spring, 2012

13:30-15:20, every Wednesday Rm. N401, IMB

Organizer: Cheng-Ting Chien, E-mail: ctchien@gate.sinica.edu.tw ;

TEL: 2789-9970

Textbooks: 1. Developmental Biology (8th ed.) by Scott F. Gilbert

2. Principles of Development (3rd ed.) by Lewis Wolpert

Grading: 1. homework, or 2. mid-term and final exams in open-book style.

Cell Proliferation and deathLecturer: Dr. Guang-Chao Chen

• Regulation of cell cycle

• Cell signaling networks that control cell proliferation

• Cell death in development

• Regulation of cell death

• Caspases and apoptosis

• Bcl2 family members and the mitochondria in apoptosis

• Autophagy and cell death

Logic of regulatory circuits

Lecturer: Dr. Y. Henry SunFormation of organs• Cells• Tissues• Organs• Systems• Organisms• SocietyQuestions• •Fate specification• •Cell differentiation• •Spatial and temporal coordination• •Growth control• •Coordination with other parts of body

Cell fate specification

Lecturer: Dr. Cheng-Ting Chien

• Gene expression and Development• Progressive cell fate determination• Neurogenin and NeuroD in vertebrate neural development• Combinations of transcription factors determine different cell fates• Requirement of MRFs at different stages• Effect of knockout of myogenic genes in mice• MRFs (muscle regulatory factor) and MEF (muscle enhancer-

binding factor)• Sites of E-box and MEF-box on muscle differentiation-specific

genes• Combinatorial codes to specify distinct cell fates along D/V axis• Lhx3, an effector gene for V2 differentiation is not repressed in the

p2 domain• Common signaling pathways in development• Three habits to signal effectively and specifically

Embryonic development I

Lecturer: Dr. Der-Hwa Huang

1. Brief introduction of fly life and key events in early embryo2. Zygotic genes that affect segmentation and segmental identity 3. Events that depend on maternal products4. Things begin during Oocyte formation— A/P polarity during oocyte formation.5. Pre-patterning of A/P and D/V axis in oocyte.

Embryonic development II

Lecturer: Dr. Yu-Ting Yan

• The EGF-CFC gene family• Cripto is required for A-P axis positioning• Conserved elements of the L-R pathway• The Nodal signaling pathway• Gene expression and targeted disruption of Cryptic• Randomized abdominal situs in Cryptic–/– mice • Cardiac defects in Cryptic–/– mice Vascular heterotaxia in Cryptic–/– miceRandomized embryo turning and cardiac loopingAbsence of L-R asymmetric gene expression in the lateral plate mesodermAbsence of Nodal expression in the lateral plate, but not round the node Schematic model for EGF-CFC function in left-right axis formationAn assay for EGF-CFC and Nodal activitiesDirect and indirect mechanisms for L-R defectsPathway for L-R axis specification

Cell polarity and migration

Lecturer: Dr. Ruey-Hwa Chen

• Basic principle to generate polarity• Asymmetric distribution of PAR complex and other polarity

complexes• From polarity signal to polarity establishment• Cell polarization in development• Asymmetric cell division controls fly neurogenesis• PAR and Scrib complexes facilitate the partition of apical and basal

membrane

• A-P axis specification in C. elegans• Setting up polarity by PAR proteins• Cell migration- basic mechanism• Acitn nucleation & branch formation• Adhesion formation• Cell migration in Dictyostelium development• Chemotaxis• Polarized distribution of signaling proteins• Chemotactic signaling at front & back• Drosophila Border cell migration• Three pathways control border cell migration• Distal tip cell migration in C. elegans• Genes involved in DTC migration

Neuronal development

Lecturer: Dr. Yi-Ping Hsueh

1. Cell proliferation2. Cell migration3. Axon guidance and outgrowth a. Netrin/DCC b. Eph/ephrin4. Dendrite outgrowth and field size.5. Synaptic formation6. Elimination of cells and synapses7. Activity-dependent synaptic rearrangement

Organogenesis on vertebrate systems

Lecturer: Dr. Yun-Jin Jiang (NHRI)

1. Comparison of model organisms2. Introduction to zebrafish development3. Zebrafish kidney (pronephros) as an example4. General introduction of pronephros function and development5. Four major stage of pronephros development6. Genes and signaling pathways involved in pronephros development7. Role of Notch signaling in cell specification between multiciliated

cells and principal (transporting epithelial) cells8. Somite segmentaion as another example: temporal gene regulation

leading to spatial boundary formation9. Discovery of the segmentation clock10. Somite mutant studies11. Genes and pathways involved in somite formation12. Their regulation and model

Control and regulation of stem cellsLecturer: Dr. Hwei-Jan Hsu (ICOB)

• Embryonic stem cells, adult stem cells and cancer stem cells• Hematopoietic stem cells• Neural stem cells• Germline stem cells• Stem cell niches• Niche signals, systemic signals and environmental factors that

regulate stem cell function.

Sex determination & differentiation

Lecturer: Dr. Bon-chu Chung(IMB)

• Sex determination by X chromosome numbers• Antagonism between Male and Female pathways• SRY determines testis formation• Sex in C. elegans and flies• Germ cell/somatic cell interaction• Steps in gonad differentiation

Development of the immune system

Lecturer: Dr. Kuo-I Lin (GRC)

• All the cellular components of the immune systemderive from a pluripotent

• hematopoietic stem cell• Lymphocyte development• B cell development• The development of T cells• DC development• Myeloid development

Senescence and ageing

Lecturer: Dr. Ting-Fen Tsai(YMU)

• Aging• Longevity• Cellular senescence• Age dependency• Lifespan• Healthspan• Health

Plant Development

Lecturer: Dr. Shu-Hsing Wu(IPMB)

Why plants?

What are the current status of developmental biology in plants?1. Embryogenesis2. Vegetable growth: meristems and leaf development3. Flowering time control4. Reproductive growth: flower development

Evo-Devo

Lecturer: Dr. Jr-Kai Yu (ICOB)

• 1. A brief history of animals and evolutionary biology• 2. Animal phylogeny• 3. The genetic toolkit for development• 4. Mechanisms of evolutionary change

Development and Diseases

Lecturer: Dr. June-Tai Wu(NTU)

The lecture will mainly cover three topics:

1) diseases related to anatomical defects introducing birth defects that

reflect abnormalities in patterning during intrauterine development

2) diseases related to functional defects introducing genetic diseases

resulted from defects in terminal differentiation of a tissue

3) psychiatric disease related to development introducing the

developmental basis of psychiatric diseases, such as autism and

schizophrenia.