BIOL 369 Developmental Biology
Lecture Schedule and Syllabus, Spring 2005
MWF 2:20-3:20
OlinRice 370
Laboratory Schedule and Syllabus, Spring 2003
Instructor: Professor Mary K.
Montgomery
office x6425
lab x8174
montgomery@macalester.edu
Text: Scott Gilbert Developmental
Biology 7th edition
Websites: Gilbert's website (
http://www.devbio.com)
also Leon Browder's
The Virtual Embryo
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This course aims to integrate organismal, cellular, genetic and molecular
approaches to the study of animal development. We will analyse a diversity
of mechanisms, ranging from ones that set up pattern formation in the unfertilized
egg to those governing morphogenesis of organ systems. Evolution of developmental
mechanisms will also be discussed. The lab component will incorporate both
descriptive and experimental embryological techniques. Three lecture hours
and 3 1/2 hr lab per week. (5 credits)
Prerequisites: Cell Biology
and Genetics.
Developmental Biology is an incredibly fascinating field of study that has undergone a major revolution in the last several years to become one of the hottest areas in biology. This has been due in part to rapid advances in cell and molecular genetic approaches, as well as in computer technologies and the various genome projects. Developmental biologists are still grappling with questions raised earlier this century by brilliant researchers with infinite patience, remarkable hands and keen powers of observation. Since then the field has been building on the knowledge gained by these early workers; we are now starting to understand the molecular basis underlying many of the developmental processes they described, and finding that these molecular interactions are often conserved among organisms as different as flies and humans. It really is a very exciting and challenging time for developmental biology and it is hard to imagine what could be more fascinating than contemplating, exploring, and learning about how something as complex as the human body could have developed from a single fertilized egg. It is my hope that you will become as enchanted by the study of this incredible phenomenon as I am.
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Week |
Date |
Topic |
Reading |
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1 |
Jan 24 |
Overview of development |
Ch. 1 (3-16); Ch. 2 (25-26) |
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Jan 26 |
Meiosis |
Ch. 2 (34-35); Ch. 19 (624-628) |
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Jan 28 |
Fertilization |
Ch. 7 (183-197) |
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2 |
Jan 31 |
Fertilization |
Ch. 7 (197-210) |
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Feb 2 |
Sea urchin early development |
Ch. 8 (221-233) |
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Feb 4 |
Sea urchin later development |
Ch. 8 (233-239) |
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3 |
Feb 7 |
Evolution of developmental patterns |
Ch. 2 (44-47) |
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Feb 9 |
Experimental embryology |
Ch. 3 (51-63) |
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Feb 11 |
Experimental embryology |
Ch. 3 (63-70) |
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4 |
Feb 14 |
Genes and development |
Ch. 4 (81-91) |
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Feb 16 |
Genes and development |
Ch. 4 (92-105) |
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Feb 18 |
Exam 1 |
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5 |
Feb 21 |
Fish development |
Ch. 11 (345-354) |
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Feb 23 |
Differential gene expression: level of DNA |
Ch. 5 (107-126) (background only) + TBA |
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Feb 25 |
Differential gene expression: level of RNA |
Ch. 5 (127-137) (background only) + TBA |
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6 |
Feb 28 |
Avian development |
Ch. 11 (354-362) |
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Mar 2 |
Mammalian development |
Ch. 11 (363-374) |
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Mar 4 |
Discussion on human cloning & embryonic stem cells |
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7 |
Mar 7 |
Primary induction |
Ch. 10 (305-315) |
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Mar 9 |
Primary induction |
Ch. 10 (317-327) |
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Mar 11 |
Mesoderm: somites and muscle |
Ch. 14 (465-474) |
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8 |
Mar 14 |
SPRING BREAK |
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Mar 16 |
SPRING BREAK |
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Mar 17 |
SPRING BREAK |
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9 |
Mar 21 |
Axis Specification in Drosophila |
Ch. 9 (263-269) |
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Mar 23 |
Axis Specification in Drosophila |
Ch. 9 (270-278) |
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Mar 25 |
Axis Specification in Drosophila |
Ch. 9 (278-289) |
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10 |
Mar 28 |
Exam 2 |
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| = | Mar 30 |
Neurulation and ectoderm |
Ch. 12 (391-402) |
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Apr 1 |
Neurulation and ectoderm |
Ch. 12 (403-412) |
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11 |
Apr 4 |
Comparative development of the vertebrate, cephalopod, and insect eye |
Ch. 12 (413-16) + TBA |
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Apr 6 |
Neural crest |
Ch. 13 (427-436) + Fraser et al. paper |
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Apr 8 |
NO CLASS |
Ch. 13 (442-452) |
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12 |
Apr 11 |
Axonal guidance |
Ch. 13 (442-452) |
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Apr 13 |
Axonal guidance |
TBA |
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Apr 15 |
Sex determination |
Ch. 17 (547-553) |
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13 |
Apr 18 |
Sex determination |
Ch. 17 (556-561) |
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Apr 20 |
Sex determination |
TBA |
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Apr 22 |
Topic: student choice (from chapters 18-23) |
TBA |
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14 |
Apr 25 |
Topic: student choice (from chapters 18-23) |
TBA |
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Apr 27 |
Topic: student choice (from chapters 18-23) |
TBA |
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Apr 29 |
Exam 3 |
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15 |
May 2 |
Wrap Up and Review |
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May 9 |
Final Exam (Grant Proposal) DUE by 5pm |
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GRADING
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EXAM 1 |
2/20 |
10% |
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EXAM 2 |
3/29 |
10% |
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EXAM 3 |
4/30 |
10% |
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FINAL (Grant Proposal) |
5/9 |
15% |
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In class performance |
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5% |
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LAB PERFORMANCE |
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50% |
A little less than 1/3
of your grade will be based on your performance on exams
covering lecture material in the course. The exams will be short answer/essay
format and designed to test your ability to synthesize information, critically
analyze data, and design controlled experiments. In addition to readings from
the textbook, we will read and discuss some papers from the primary literature.
Your "in class performance "
grade (5% of final grade) will
be based on your preparedness for and participation in these discussions;
in addition you may be asked to prepare a 5-10 minute short presentation
on a relevant topic to the day's discussion. Your final exam, which will
take the form of a written grant proposal, will account for 15%
of your final grade. The other 50%
will come from your efforts in the lab
section of the course and the papers you write based on that work (see
Lab syllabus). The 50/50 split reflects the
fact that you will be spending at least as much time in the lab as you do
in lecture, as well as my belief that one of the best ways to understand
the material presented in lecture is to have hands-on experience with the
organisms and techniques used by researchers who study developmental biology.
Furthermore, I have designed the course so that the labs reinforce the concepts
being covered in the lecture and vice versa. I feel that you will gain as
much understanding about certain aspects of developmental biology from the
labs and the writing of your papers as you will from studying the text and
lecture material. Each is equally important and thus the grading reflects
this balance.
The first three exams will be based on
material covered in lecture. Scott Gilbert's Developmental Biology
is an excellent textbook and I will expect you to keep up with the reading
material that accompanies the lecture. Both my lectures and the textbook emphasize
experimental evidence and you will get to know something about the researchers
as well as their work and how each has contributed to the knowledge base
of this fast-growing field. There is much more in Gilbert's textbook than
we will be able to cover in class. In terms of exams, you will only be responsible
for topics covered in class; however, I encourage you to read up on other
topics presented in the book that we may not cover but that may be of interest
to you. Furthermore, there are several websites that are relevant to developmental
biology; I will be supplementing the lecture and text with at least two of
these: "zygote " and "
the virtual embryo". Again, there is a whole world of information available
through these websites that you may want to further explore on your own.
Your final exam
will take the form of a written grant proposal. Your job will be to design
a series of experiments, including proper controls, that address a novel question
in developmental biology. You will do the background research, generate the
question, and design the experiments. You will have a lot of freedom in this
endeavor, but the question(s) being pursued must be novel
. You will receive much more detailed information about writing your grant
proposal later in the semester. Just like at the National Institutes of Health
or the National Science Foundation, late proposals will not be accepted, but
early submissions are encouraged!
The only acceptable excuses for missing
an exam are severe personal illness, a family emergency, or other event of
similar nature. You will need to show me some form of documentation should
such a situation arise and you return to class to make up an exam. If you
cannot take an exam on the assigned day because of participation in a sporting
event or other official Macalester activity, you must notify me ahead of time
(i.e., BEFORE the day of the exam) so that we can schedule an appropriate
time for you to take the exam.
If you need special accommodation for
note-taking or test-taking, e.g. due to ESL or a learning disability, please
feel free to discuss your situation with me. I will do my best to accommodate
your needs and help you achieve your full potential in my course.
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