In multicellular plants and animals, a fertilized egg initiates
a cycle of mitotic divisions and developmental
events that ultimately give rise to an adult member of
the species from which the gametes were derived. Thousands,
millions, or even billions of specialized cells are
generated and organized into a cohesive and coordinated
unit that we perceive as a living organism. Developmental
biologists study the processes that govern the processes
that govern transitions from one stage of an organism’s
life cycle to another. Analysis of developmental processes
draws on many different biological disciplines—such as
molecular, cellular, and organismal biology—it also uses
systems biology to help explain how interconnected networks
of genes control biological processes over developmental
time and ultimately transform the zygote into
an adult organism.
Over the last several decades, genetic analysis coupled
with recombinant DNA technology have identified,
mapped, cloned, and sequenced genes that regulate developmental
processes. We are now organizing these genes
into complex networks and systems to explain how the
action and interaction of these genes control development
in a wide range of organisms.
In this chapter, we will emphasize the role of gene action
in regulating development. Genetics is making tremendous
strides in analyzing developmental processes because
genetic information is required both for the molecular and
cellular functions mediating developmental events, and
for determining the phenotype of the newly formed organism.
We will examine the molecular events in several
developmental processes: the establishment of the
anterior–posterior axis of the body, the progressive limitation
of developmental potential, and the role of master
genes in specifying adult structures.
- 20.1 Basic Concepts in Developmental Genetics
- 20.2 Maternal and Zygotic Genes Interact to Establish
the Body Axis in Drosophila
- Overview of Drosophila Development
- Genetic Analysis of Embryogenesis
- Zygotic Genes and Segment Formation
- 20.3 Homeotic Genes Control Pattern Formation Along
the Anterior–Posterior Body Axis
- Appendage Formation in Drosophila
- Flower Development in Arabidopsis
- 20.4 Cell–Cell Interactions Can Control
Developmental Fate
- Overview of C. elegans Development
- Vulva Formation
- Cell-Cell Interactions in Vulva Formation
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