MOLECULAR BIOLOGY OF DEVELOPMENT

1) Presentation of the course, history and principles of developmental genetics (1.5 CFU): cell fate analysis, organizers and transplants, mutagenesis, cellular asymmetry, chemoaffinity hypothesis, sex determination, lateral inhibition, somitogenesis.
2) Cellular Developmental Mechanisms (0.5 CFU): Survival, Apoptosis, Shape, Movement, Differentiation, Gene Expression
3) Morphogenetic theory (0.5 CFU): Diffusion reaction, French flag theory.
4) Genetic pathways controlling development, their function and visualization (1.5 CFU): Wnt, TGFb, BMP, HH, Notch, Hypoxia, Hippo, STAT
5) germ layers induction and regionalization of the main axes (DV, AP, LR) in vertebrates and Drosophila, Examples of organ formation. (1 CFU)

Angiogenesis in model animals (1 CFU): Use of genetic animal models to study angiogenesis. Molecular biology of endothelial cells. Developmental and pathological angiogenesis.
Fluorescent and digital microscopy (1 CFU): Use of genetically encoded fluorophores in molecular genetic development. Different fluorescent techniques and microscopes. Advance microscopic techniques for in vivo studies.
Laboratory (1 CFU): manipulation of the zebrafish embryo: whole mount staining and imaging of fluorescent embryo; Pharmacological treatment of zebrafish embryos with non-specific teratogens (alcohol) and specific agonists or antagonists.