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Advanced Biology — Development

Embryonic development, signaling, and pattern formation

M
morphogen_mf 22 terms Dec 3, 2025
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Terms 22

1
Fertilization
Sperm-egg fusion; acrosome reaction, cortical reaction; prevents polyspermy; restores diploidy
2
Cleavage
Rapid cell divisions without growth; zygote → morula → blastula; no G1/G2 phases
3
Blastocyst (mammalian)
Hollow ball; inner cell mass (embryo) + trophoblast (placenta); ~5-6 days post-fertilization
4
Gastrulation
Three germ layers form: ectoderm, mesoderm, endoderm; establishes body axes
5
Ectoderm
Outer germ layer; gives rise to epidermis, nervous system, sensory organs
6
Mesoderm
Middle germ layer; muscle, skeleton, cardiovascular system, kidneys, gonads
7
Endoderm
Inner germ layer; lining of gut, lungs, liver, pancreas
8
Neurulation
Neural plate → neural folds → neural tube; gives rise to brain and spinal cord
9
Organizer (Spemann-Mangold)
Dorsal blastopore lip induces formation of entire secondary axis; seminal discovery in development
10
Morphogen Gradient
Signaling molecule whose graded concentration specifies different cell fates across a tissue
11
Bicoid Gradient
Drosophila anterior morphogen; mRNA localized anteriorly; protein gradient determines head vs tail
12
Hox Genes
Transcription factors controlling body segment identity; conserved across animals; colinear with body axis
13
Homeodomain
DNA-binding domain of Hox and other developmental transcription factors; helix-turn-helix
14
Induction
Signaling between adjacent cells or tissues specifying cell fate; requires signal and competence
15
Competence
Ability of cells to respond to inductive signal; depends on receptor expression and intracellular state
16
Lateral Inhibition
Notch-Delta: cell acquiring fate inhibits neighbors from doing same; generates pattern from equivalence group
17
Apoptosis in Development
Programmed cell death sculpts structures; interdigital webbing removal; excess neurons
18
Stem Cell
Self-renewing, pluripotent cell; can differentiate into multiple cell types; niche-dependent
19
Totipotent vs Pluripotent
Totipotent (zygote, can make whole organism); pluripotent (ES cells, most embryonic cells)
20
Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPSCs)
Somatic cells reprogrammed to pluripotency by Yamanaka factors (Oct4, Sox2, Klf4, c-Myc)
21
Axis Specification
Anterior-posterior, dorsal-ventral, left-right body axes established by asymmetric signaling and transcription factors
22
Cell Fate Determination
Irreversible commitment to specific lineage; preceded by specification (reversible)