Gradients and Tissue Patterning, Volume 137 in the Current Topics in Developmental Biology series, highlights new advances in the field, with this new volume presenting interesting chapters on a variety of timely topics. Each chapter is written by an international board of authors.

The genetic, molecular, and cellular mechanisms of neural development are essential for understanding evolution and disorders of neural systems. Recent advances in genetic, molecular, and cell biological methods have generated a massive increase in new information, but there is a paucity of comprehensive and up-to-date syntheses, references, and historical perspectives on this important subject. The Comprehensive Developmental Neuroscience series is designed to fill this gap, offering the most thorough coverage of this field on the market today and addressing all aspects of how the nervous system and its components develop. Particular attention is paid to the effects of abnormal development and on new psychiatric/neurological treatments being developed based on our increased understanding of developmental mechanisms. Each volume in the series consists of review style articles that average 15-20pp and feature numerous illustrations and full references. Volume 1 offers 48 high level articles devoted mainly to patterning and cell type specification in the developing central and peripheral nervous systems. - Series offers 144 articles for 2904 full color pages addressing ways in which the nervous system and its components develop - Features leading experts in various subfields as Section Editors and article Authors - All articles peer reviewed by Section Editors to ensure accuracy, thoroughness, and scholarship - Volume 1 sections include coverage of mechanisms which: control regional specification, regulate proliferation of neuronal progenitors and control differentiation and survival of specific neuronal subtypes, and controlling development of non-neural cells

The greatest mystery of life is how a single fertilized egg develops into a fully functioning, sometimes conscious multicellular organism. Embryogenesis Explained offers a new theory of how embryos build themselves, and combines simple physics with the most recent biochemical and genetic breakthroughs, based on the authors' prediction and then discovery of differentiation waves. They explain their ideas in a form accessible to the lay person and a broad spectrum of scientists and engineers. The diverse subjects of development, genetics and evolution, and their physics, are brought together to explain this major, previously unanswered scientific question of our time.As a follow up on The Hierarchical Genome, this book is a shorter but conceptually expanded work for the reader who is interested in science. It is useful as a starting point for the curious layman or the scientist or professional encountering the problem of embryogenesis without the formal biology background. There is also material useful for the seasoned biologist caught up in the new rush of information about the role of mechanics in developmental biology and cellular level mechanics in medicine.

Branching morphogenesis, the creation of branched structures in the body, is a key feature of animal and plant development. This book brings together, for the first time, expert researchers working on a variety of branching systems to present a state-of-the-art view of the mechanisms that control branching morphogenesis. Systems considered range from single cells, to blood vessel and drainage duct systems to entire body plans, and approaches range from observation through experiment to detailed biophysical modelling. The result is an integrated overview of branching.

Escherichia coli, commonly referred to as E. coli, has been the organism of choice for molecular genetics for decades. Its machinery and mobile behavior is one of the most fascinating topics for cell scientists. Scientists and engineers, not trained in microbiology, and who would like to learn more about living machines, can see it as a unique example. This cross-disciplinary monograph covers more than thirty years of research and is accessible to graduate students and scientists alike.

The neural crest is a remarkable embryonic population of cells found only in vertebrates and has the potential to give rise to many different cell types contributing throughout the body. These derivatives range from the mesenchymal bone and cartilage comprising the facial skeleton, to neuronal derivatives of the peripheral sensory and autonomic nervous systems, to melanocytes throughout the body, and to smooth muscle of the great arteries of the heart. For these cells to correctly progress from an unspecifi ed, nonmigratory population to a wide array of dynamic, differentiated cell types-some of which retain stem cell characteristics presumably to replenish these derivatives-requires a complex network of molecular switches to control the gene programs giving these cells their defi ning structural, enzymatic, migratory, and signaling capacities. This review will bring together current knowledge of neural crest-specifi c transcription factors governing these progressions throughout the course of development. A more thorough understanding of the mechanisms of transcriptional control in differentiation will aid in strategies designed to push undifferentiated cells toward a particular lineage, and unraveling these processes will help toward reprogramming cells from a differentiated to a more naive state. Table of Contents: Introduction / AP Genes / bHLH Genes / ETS Genes / Fox Genes / Homeobox Genes / Hox Genes / Lim Genes / Pax Genes / POU Domain Genes / RAR/RXR Genes / Smad Genes / Sox Genes / Zinc Finger Genes / Other Miscellaneous Genes / References / Author Biographies

The genetic, molecular, and cellular mechanisms of neural development are essential for understanding evolution and disorders of neural systems. Recent advances in genetic, molecular, and cell biological methods have generated a massive increase in new information, but there is a paucity of comprehensive and up-to-date syntheses, references, and historical perspectives on this important subject. The Comprehensive Developmental Neuroscience series is designed to fill this gap, offering the most thorough coverage of this field on the market today and addressing all aspects of how the nervous system and its components develop. Particular attention is paid to the effects of abnormal development and on new psychiatric/neurological treatments being developed based on our increased understanding of developmental mechanisms. Each volume in the series consists of review style articles that average 15-20pp and feature numerous illustrations and full references. Volume 2 offers 56 high level articles devoted mainly to Formation of Axons and Dendrites, Migration, Synaptogenesis, Developmental Sequences in the Maturation of Intrinsic and Synapse Driven Patterns. - Series offers 144 articles for 2904 full color pages addressing ways in which the nervous system and its components develop - Features leading experts in various subfields as Section Editors and article Authors - All articles peer reviewed by Section Editors to ensure accuracy, thoroughness, and scholarship - Volume 2 sections include coverage of mechanisms which regulate: the formation of axons and dendrites, cell migration, synapse formation and maintenance during development, and neural activity, from cell-intrinsic maturation to early correlated patterns of activity

Progress in developmental neurobiology and advances in (neuro) genetics have been spectacular. The high resolution of modern imaging techniques applicable to developmental disorders of the human brain and spinal cord have created a novel insight into the developmental history of the central nervous system (CNS). This book provides a comprehensive overview of the development of the human CNS in the context of its many developmental disorders. It provides a unique combination of data from human embryology, animal research and developmental neuropathology, and there are more than 400 figures in over a hundred separate illustrations.

Scientific Frontiers in Developmental Toxicology and Risk Assessment reviews advances made during the last 10-15 years in fields such as developmental biology, molecular biology, and genetics. It describes a novel approach for how these advances might be used in combination with existing methodologies to further the understanding of mechanisms of developmental toxicity, to improve the assessment of chemicals for their ability to cause developmental toxicity, and to improve risk assessment for developmental defects. For example, based on the recent advances, even the smallest, simplest laboratory animals such as the fruit fly, roundworm, and zebrafish might be able to serve as developmental toxicological models for human biological systems. Use of such organisms might allow for rapid and inexpensive testing of large numbers of chemicals for their potential to cause developmental toxicity; presently, there are little or no developmental toxicity data available for the majority of natural and manufactured chemicals in use. This new approach to developmental toxicology and risk assessment will require simultaneous research on several fronts by experts from multiple scientific disciplines, including developmental toxicologists, developmental biologists, geneticists, epidemiologists, and biostatisticians.