Study of highly and precisely controlled genetic programs that are responsible for animal development, from gametogenesis to adulthood.

Objectives  :                

The aim of this course is to introduce functional genetics and the genetic tools used to understand the principles that control animal development. 

An introduction to Developmental Biology

·       How do cells build a multicellular organism from the same genome ? 

·       What are the genotype/phenotype relationships ?

·       Remember the principles of genetic analysis and model organisms :  the nature of mutations, loss of function and gain of function mutations (definition of a master gene), clonal analysis (of somatic or germ cells)

 

Study of regulatory elements

·       Establishment of transgenetic lines, enhancer trap lines, reporter genes… using model organisms (Drosophila, C. elegans, mice…)

·       Use of the systems FLP/FRT, CRE-LOX, UAS-GAL4-GAL80, AttpP/B-PhiC31 etc

Positional Information, maternal gene effects and asymmetry

·       Models and mechanisms of positional information (induction, organizers, morphogenesis) 

Establishment of body axes : antero-posterior, dorsal-ventral and proximo-distal/ left-right axes

·       Genetic screens

·       Cellular communication, signaling pathways and gene networks

Invertebrate and vertebrate segmentation :

·       Segmentation genes (gap, « pair rule » and polarity genes)

·       Transcriptional regulation of gene expression during development, regulatory sequences during evolution

Segmental identity and Hox homeotic genes

·       Spatial and temporal regulation of gene expression

·       Epigenetic regulation and 3D architecture of the genome.

·       Evo-Devo concepts

·       Seminars on various topics (sex determination, epigenetic control by polycomb complexes, temporal control of transcription, temporal control of transcription, etc)