Vertebrate Limb And Somite Morphogenesis

Following pioneering work by Harrison on amphibian limbs in the 1920s and by Saunders (1948) on the apical ridge in chick limbs, limb development became a classical model system for investigating such fundamental developmental issues as tissue interactions and induction, and the control of pattern formation. Earlier international conferences, at Grenoble 1972, Glasgow 1976,and Storrs, Connecticut 1982, reflected the interests and technology of their time. Grenoble was concerned with ectoderm-mesenchyme interaction, but by the time of the Glasgow meeting, the zone of polarizing activity (ZPA) and its role in control of patterning was the dominant theme. Storrs produced the first intimations that the ZPA could be mimicked by retinoic acid (RA), but the diversity of extracellular masrix ~olecules,particularly in skeletogenesis,was the main focus of attention. By 1990, the paradigms had again shifted. Originally, the planners of the ARW saw retinoic acid (as a possible morphogen controlling skeletal patterning), the variety of extracellular matrix components and their roles, and the developmental basis of limb evolution as the leading contemporary topics. However, as planning proceeded, it was clear that the new results emerging from the use of homeobox gene probes (first developed to investigate the genetic control of patterning of Drosophila embryos) to analyse the localised expression of "patterning genes" in limb buds would also be an important theme.

Somite development is a unique and important topic; unique because somitic mesoderm is the first tissue to become segmented, important because the somites - once established - exert a profound influence on other seg mental structures which form later. Somite development is of interest at a number of levels. In one aspect, demarcation of a specific number of somites and size regulation, it is a particularly intriguing example of embryonic pattern formation, 'especially in vew of its possible relation to homoeobox-controlled segmentation in insects. At another level, somite development has long been studied by compara tive anatomists, but only recently has new light been thrown on such sub jects as segmentation of the head, proposed in the 18th century by Goethe and now a live issue for developmental biologists. Somit es are simple when they first appear, but very complex structures arise from them. These include the vertebrae and the axial and other muscles and consequently there is a wealth of morphogenetic problems to be explored. Sometimes their morphogenesis is disturbed, by genetic or environ mental factors, and there are many clinical conditions which arise as a result.

The chapters contained in this two-volume set provide a broad perspective on the novel strategies and conceptual paradigms that drive the current resurgence of interest in somitogenesis - the process by which somites form and elaborate differentiated tissues and structures. Because somites are a ubiquitous feature of vertebrate embryos, they can be studied in a variety of experimental animal models including those amenable to genetic (zebrafish, mammalian), molecular/genetic (mammalian, avian) as well as those already well established for classical experimental embryological and cell biological studies (amphibians, avian). The wide variety of experimental approaches to somitogenesis that are presented in these volumes will leave the reader with a broad perspective on how current research in somitogenesis is helping to solve fundamental questions in vertebrate development and morphogenesis. Novel transcriptional mechanisms that control repetitive pattern formation Wide-scale genetic screens for mutations affecting somitogenesis Molecular/genetic control of pattern and tissue formation during somitogenesis Transplantation of mouse embryo somites Classical embryological approaches and concepts Evolutionary perspectives on somitogenesis

This series was established to create comprehensive treatises on specialized topics in developmental biology. Such volumes are especially vital in develop mental biology, since it is a very diverse field that receives contributions from a wide variety of disciplines. This series is a meeting-ground for the various practitioners of this science, facilitating an integration of heterogeneous infor mation on. specific topics. Each volume is intended to provide the conceptual basis for a comprehen sive understanding of its topic as well as an analysis of the key experiments upon which that understanding is based. The specialist in any aspect of devel opmental biology should understand the experimental background of the field and be able to place that body of information in context to ascertain where additional research would be fruitful. At that point, the creative process takes over, and new experiments are designed. This series is intended to be a vital link in that ongoing process of learning and discovery. If it facilitates schol arship, it will serve an important function.

The development of vertebrate muscle has long been a major area of research in developmental biology. During the last decade, novel technical approaches have allowed us to unravel to a large extent the mechanisms underlying muscle formation, and myogenesis has become one of the best-understood paradigms for cellular differentiation. This book concisely summarizes our current knowledge about muscle development in vertebrates, from the determination of muscle precursors to terminal differentiation. Each chapter has been written by an expert in the field, and particular emphasis has been placed on the different developmental and molecular pathways followed by the three types of vertebrate musculature - skeletal, heart and smooth muscle.

The appearance of the first volume of a projected series is the occasion for comment on scope, aims, and genesis of the work. The scope of Current Ornithology is all of the biology of birds. Ornithology, as a whole-organism science, is concerned with birds at every level of bi ological organization, from the molecular to the community, at least from the Jurassic to the present time, and over every scholarly discipline in which bird biology is done; to say this is merely to expand a dic tionary definition of "ornithology. " The aim of the work, to be realized over several volumes, is to present reviews or position statements con cerning the active fields of ornithological research. The reviews will be relatively short, and often will be done from the viewpoint of a readily identified group or school. Such a work could have come into being at any time within the past fifty years, but that Current Ornithology appears now is a result of events that are only seven to eight years old. One important event was the initiation in 1975-1976 of the Workshop on a National Plan for Ornithology, under the directorship of James R. King and Walter J. Bock, cosponsored by the American Ornithologists' Union and the Na tional Science Foundation. Part of the Workshop's interests lay in pub lications resources, and certain kinds of information on publications were obtained by means of a questionnaire.

"This book aims to provide a survey of the developmental biology of mammals--Pref.

A multi-author volume Major Events in Early Vertebrate Evolution examines the origin and early evolution of the backboned animals (vertebrates)-the group which comprises all fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals, including ourselves. This volume draws together evidence from fossils, genes, and developmental biology (the study of how embry

A growing sophistication of the American populace about the nature and realities of the impact of the environment on prenatal development was not much in evi dence in 1983. Continuing accusations against Agent Orange and Bendectin high light what must be a deep credulousness and need to blame others for one's bio logical misfortunes. We despair that ignorance and nonaccountability can be dissipated by objective means. But one can only learn and teach and hope. The need to know what causes congenital malformations becomes more imperative as they become the last major holdout, the most unyielding of all the reasons babies still die and are seriously ill. In the aggregate, congenital malfor mations are now the cause of about one-third of the deaths of infants less than one month old and one-fifth of the deaths of those under one year old, up 50% in the last two decades. In the instance of one suspected cause of congenital malformations, maternal insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, while the perinatal mortality rate of children of such women has gone down greatly since World War II, the fraction of deaths due to congenital malformations has grown correspondingly and is now approach ing 50%. Present-day knowledge of the causes of congenital malformations is most imperfect. A recent authoritative review found that there is understanding to one extent or another of the causation of less than half of all congenital malformations.

Principles of vertebrate patterning and early embryology are explained first, then subsequent chapters address patterning in both the nervous system and specific parts of the body. Throughout the book, examples are drawn from a number of species and emphasis has been placed on recent discoveries about the molecular basis of patterning in vertebrates. Each chapter, written by experts in the field, is a detailed review of current research that yields new insights. Written by an outstanding list of contributors, Patterning in Vertebrate Development is a unique, timely, and authoritative review of this important field. As such it will be a valuable resource not only for researchers but also for advanced students and those who teach them. Book jacket.

Evolutionary Biology, of which this is the eighteenth volume, con tinues to offer its readers a wide range of original articles, reviews, and commentaries on evolution, in the bro~dest sense of that term. The topics of the reviews range from anthropology and behavior to molecular biology and systematics. In recent volumes, a broad spectrum of articles have appeared on such subjects as natural selection among replicating molecules in vitro, mate recognition and the reproductive behavior of Drosophila, molecular systematics ofCrocodilia, evolution of the monocotyledons, and the com munication network made possible among even distantly related genera of bacteria by plasmids and other transposable elements. Articles such as these, often too long for standard journals , are the stuff of Evolutionary Biology. The editors continue to solicit manuscripts on an international scale in an effort to see that everyone of the many facets of biological evolution is covered. Manuscripts should be sent to anyone of the following: Max K. Hecht, Department of Biology, Queens College of the City University of New York, Flushing, New York 11367; Bruce Wallace, Department of Biology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacks burg, Virginia 24061; Ghillian T. Prance, New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, New York 10458.

The molecular biology revolution has transformed developmental biology into one of the most exciting and fruitful fields in experimental biomedical research today. In Developmental Biology Protocols, established leaders in this field demonstrate this achievement with a comprehensive collection of cutting-edge protocols for studying and analyzing the events of embryonic development. Drawing on state-of-the-art cellular and molecular techniques, as well as new and sophisticated imaging and information technologies, this 3rd volume and last volume introduces powerful techniques for the manipulation of developmental gene expression and function, the analysis of gene expression, the characterization of tissue morphogenesis and development, the in vitro study of differentiation and development, and the genetic analysis of developmental models of diseases. The 1st and 2nd volumes in this seminal set complete today's widest-ranging collection of techniques designed to decipher the exact cellular, molecular, and genetic mechanisms that control the form, structure, and function of the developing embryo. Volume 1 presents readily reproducible methods for establishing and characterizing several widely used experimental model systems, for both the study of developmental patterns and morphogenesis, and the examination of embryo structure and function. In addition, there are step-by-step methods for the analysis of cell lineage, the production and use of chimeras, and the experimental molecular manipulation of embryos, including the application of viral vectors. No less innovative, volume 2 describes state-of-the-art methods for the study of organogenesis, the analysis of abnormal development and teratology, the screening and mapping of novel genes and mutations, and the application of transgenesis, including the production of transgenic animals and gene knockouts. Highly practical and richly annotated, the three volumes of Developmental Biology Protocols describe multiple experimental systems and details techniques adopted from the broadest array of biomedical disciplines. Every researcher will not only better understand the principles, background, and rationale for how form and function are elaborated in an organism, but also gain full practical access to today's best methods for its analysis.