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Developmental Biology I: Anke Van Eekelen, PHD

1) The document discusses the basic principles of embryonic development, including cleavage, pattern formation, gastrulation, and organogenesis. 2) It explains how differential cell behaviors during these processes result in the emergence of organized tissues and organs. Cleavage involves rapid cell division without growth to form a ball of cells. 3) Gastrulation is when the ball of cells rearranges into three germ layers - ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm. This morphogenesis is controlled by signaling centers like the Spemann organizer.

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Sonali Tayal
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56 views

Developmental Biology I: Anke Van Eekelen, PHD

1) The document discusses the basic principles of embryonic development, including cleavage, pattern formation, gastrulation, and organogenesis. 2) It explains how differential cell behaviors during these processes result in the emergence of organized tissues and organs. Cleavage involves rapid cell division without growth to form a ball of cells. 3) Gastrulation is when the ball of cells rearranges into three germ layers - ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm. This morphogenesis is controlled by signaling centers like the Spemann organizer.

Uploaded by

Sonali Tayal
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Developmental Biology I

(Classical Embryology)

Anke van Eekelen, PhD


Telethon Institute for Child Health Research
Development

Differential cell behaviours


(division, differentiation, growth, patterning, movement)

the emergence of organised structures


(tissues, organs)
Basic Principles of Development

Event Principle Outcome


Cleavage 1- Cell Division • multicellular organism

2- Pattern Formation • Defining the Axes: Body Plan


• initiating Germ Layer Formation

Gastrulation 3- Morphogenesis • Formation of 3 Germ layers

Organogenesis 4- Cell Differentiation • Blood, Muscle, Nerves …

5- Growth • maturity
Mouse Fruit Fly (Drosophila)

Developmental cycles for various


species
Differences:
| shape & look of embryo

| length of dev. cycle

Common aspects:
| cleavage/gastrulation/organogenesis
Chicken
Cleavage
Cell division
¾ Cleavage: NO INCREASE in size of the embryo - process of just generating many cells
¾ Extraordinarily QUICK cell division (much more than in tumours)
¾ The decrease in cytoplasmic/nuclear ratio is crucial

¾ Cleavage parcels up the newly divided nuclei with increasingly smaller sub-divisions of pre-
existing cytoplasm and nuclear material (although DNA content remains the same!).
À
Differential distribution of cellular molecules (mRNA and proteins)
À
New cells will “inherit” cytoplasm and nuclei with differing amounts of these molecules.
Examples of specific cellular distribution patterns of
cellular components in fertilized oocytes

Frog oocyte

Drosophila oocyte

Bicoid mRNA on anterior pole Vg-1 mRNA in vegetal cortex


(in situ hybridisation) (in situ hybridisation)
As cleavage proceeds:

Oocyte Î Morula Î Blastula


(1 cell) (clump of cells ) (bigger but hollow ball of cells)

- Cell heterogeneity Ò

- Cell division Ô

- Maternal determinants Ô

- Embryonic gene expression Ò


Cleavage Fruit fly

Pattern formation

Localisation of cytoplasmic factors


(specific mRNAs and proteins) is used as
morphogenetic information
to lay the blueprint for the body plan
(body axis formation)

maternal vs zygotic factors


Frog Zebrafish

R
A-P & V-D axis D
A P
L V
anterior posterior
Dorsal

Body Plan ventral


Organisation
of a fruit fly
Gastrulation
Morphogenesis - formation of 3 germ layers
GASTRULATION is the re-arrangement of the blastula to form:

Outer ectoderm skin and (central) nervous system


Inner mesoderm most of the organs
endoderm linings of digestive and respiratory system

Frog Chicken
Morphogenesis or Developmental Mechanics:

Cell adhesion
Cell shape
Cell movement
Cell proliferation/death
Extracellular materials

¾ Changes in these qualities at the single cell level alter the


form of the cell groups, the tissues, organs and the entire
embryo.

¾ New shapes are moulded and sculpted, cells alter their


behaviours.

This is moulding and sculpting, but there is no sculptor;


the clay forms itself.
Gastrulation is dependent on
Organizers or signalling centres

Spemann organizer

Hensen’s node
In the fertilized oocyte (zygote):

¾ Sperm entry defines location of the organizer!


À
Cortex rotates with respect to internal cytoplasm (microtubule-driven)
À
Differentially distributed cytoplasmic molecules of cortex will
be shifted with respect to differentially distributed molecules
of internal cytoplasm ¾ cortical rotation ¾ V-D axis
¾ Nieuwkoop center
(as part of Spemann organizer)

Frog
The Nieuwkoop center cells can induce changes
in neighbouring cells…….
Intracellular induction causes cell shaping & re-arrangement
through
À
‘Autonomous’ signals: zygotic transcription factors
or
cell conditioning signals: zygotic secretion factors
Cleavage ends:
ÔÔ cytoplasm: nucleus ratio while cells divide

ÔÔ maternally derived molecules


(transcriptional repressors in the oocyte cytoplasm?)

ÒÒ increase zygotic gene expression of autonomous &


cellular signalling molecules

Gastrulation starts:
induction of the Organizer by zygotic signalling molecules
………this signals to neighbouring cells
………...controls organization of the Blastula
…………. instigates & orchestrates cell re-arrangements
…………….to give a 3 layered, patterned embryo
Gastrulation process
in frog
Chicken

Gastrulation Cleavage
The end result of gastrulaton in vertebrates generating:

A tube with 3 basic layers

Ectoderm =outer layer


epidermis (skin)
neural (CNS & PNS)
Endoderm=inner layer
absorptive cells
secretory cells
Mesoderm=middle layer
notochord
muscle
skeleton
connective
kidney
blood

Cell Differentiation /Tissue & Organ development


Organogenesis
Cell differentiation

Further induction processes mediate


cell differention-tissue and organ development:

Example 1
Example 2
Limb formation: Apical Ectodermal Ridge

Example 3
Brain compartmentalization: isthmus
(defines boundary between mid-and hindbrain)
Developmental events
are controlled by differential gene expression,

……..which drives cascades of gene-regulatory


events,

……….which define differential cell behaviours,

which underlie major developmental processes

crucial to study gene expression & protein


function

Next week:
Molecular mechanisms underlying development

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