BIOL 5365 - Developmental Physiology

Spring 2004 / Kirby Plaza 312 / Th 12:00-1:50 pm

--> tentative schedule

Dr. Anna Rachinsky
Office: LSci 315 Office hours: M F 12:00-1:00 pm or by appointment
Phone: 218-726-7270 Email: arachins@d.umn.edu

GENERAL REQUIREMENTS :
It will be assumed that students enrolled in Developmental Physiology have a good understanding of basic mechanisms of developmental biology and animal physiology. Thus, it is strongly recommended that only students enroll in this course who have previously sucessfully completed courses such as Developmental Biology, Animal Physiology or Human Physiology. In addition, students should be familiar with the basic information and vocabulary provided by introductory courses in biology, chemistry, mathematics and physics.

COURSE DESCRIPTION:
We will review physiological mechanisms of animal development, with emphasis on well-studied animal models such as insects, crustaceans, zebrafish and mice.

COURSE OBJECTIVES / OUTCOMES:
1) Introduce basic concepts in the physiological mechanisms of development
2) Learn about classical animal models for the study of developmental physiology
3) Emphasize comparative aspects of animal developmental physiology
4) Expose students to original scientific literature (evaluation and synthesis of information from various sources, communication of results)

CLASS STRUCTURE:
About 1/2 of the class will consist of lectures to introduce the main topics that we are going to cover during the semester. Early in the semester, we will also start to investigate the lecture topics more closely by reading and discussing in class selected original research papers and reviews. There will be two written exams (take-home) during the first half of the semester. During the second half of the semester, we will move deeper into the primary literature and every student will be given the opportunity to select (a) scientific paper(s) on a topic of interest and give a presentation to the class. Every student will be also be responsable for writing a one page critique of a fellow student’s presentation. Instead of a final exam, I will ask you to prepare a ten page paper on current topics of one of the animal models discussed in class.

STUDENT ASSIGNMENTS:

I. Midterm exams: take-home exams are due one week after distribution.
II. Paper presentation: you are responsible for finding recent (2000 or later) peer reviewed scientific papers that deal with physiological mechanisms of development and for presenting a critical analysis of the paper(s) to the class. Graduate students should plan on a 45 minute presentation, undergraduates on a 30 minute presentation.
III. Critique: you will be assigned to write a one-page review of a fellow students presentation. We will discuss the criteria in class.
IV. Final paper: I will chose a suitable topic for this assignment. You will be responsible for finding current scientific papers that deal with the chosen subject and for summarizing the findings in the form of a scientific review.
V. Preparation and class participation: you are expected to read the papers on which your fellow student's presentations are based prior to the class presentation. I may present quizzes prior to the discussion to insure you are reading the papers. You are expected to participate in the class discussion. Graduate students will be assigned three to four undergraduates to assist them with their paper presentation.

METHODS OF EVALUATING STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT / GRADING

Grades will be assigned on the following basis: A 100-90%, B 89-80%, C 79-70%, D 69-60%, F 59-0%. I reserve the right to add +/- to borderline grades.

OUTLINE / TOPICS: - - - > tentative lecture & presentation schedule

I. Introduction: How do living organisms develop the ability to function in their environment?
a. Basic topics in animal physiology: respiration, circulation, digestion, locomotion, hormonal regulation etc.
b. Early development of selected animal models
c. Development of physiological processes in vertebrates and invertebrates
d. Development is a stepwise adaptation to life in different environments

II. Oxygen supply: development of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems
a. Developmental plasticity of the cardiovascular system of fish
b. Redirecting blood flow in newborn mammals
c. Morphology and physiology of circulatory organs in insects

III. Acquiring energy: development of the digestive tract, feeding, metabolism
a. Regional specification of the digestive tube
b. Molecular mechanisms of liver and pancreas development

IV. Getting around: muscle development and animal movement
a. Neuromuscular development in vertebrates
b. Vascular patterning in the tetrapod limb
c. Larval-adult changes in muscle morphology and function in insects

V. Sensing the environment: development of nervous systems and sensory organs
a. Nervous system development in zebrafish
b. Eye development in chicken embryos
c. Development of the vertebrate inner ear

VI. Glands and hormones: endocrine regulation of development
a. Hormonal control of metamorphosis in amphibians
b. Hormonal control of insect development and metamorphosis
c. Sexual differentiation in amphibians

VII. Phenotypic plasticity: control of development by environmental conditions
a. Seasonal and nutritional polyphenism in insects
b. Endocrine disruption by water contaminants
c. Parasite effects on insect and frog development

READINGS: - - - - > suggested readings
Since there is no comprehensive textbook on developmental physiology currently available we will work with materials from a variety of sources. This will include selected chapters from developmental biology and animal physiology textbooks (on reserve in the UMD library or available online), primary literature and materials that are available online.

I. Selected chapters from:
Gilbert S.F. (2003) Developmental Biology. 7th edition. Sinauer Associates. 838 p.
Randall D.J. et al. (2002) Eckert Animal Physiology. 5th edition. W.H. Freeman Company. 256 p.
Schmidt-Nielsen K. (1997) Animal Physiology. Adaptation and environment. Cambridge University Press. 607 p
II. Representative primary literature from a variety of scientific journals, among them:
Development, Developmental Biology, Mechanisms of Development, Developmental Brain Research, Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology, Nature Cell Biology, Neuroscience Letters, Trends in Endocrinology and Metabolism, BioEssays, Nature, Science, and others.

PLAGIARISM STATEMENT:
Plagiarizing from another text is not allowed under any circumstances. Any student caught plagiarizing will automatically receive a zero on the assignment and their final grade will be dropped one full letter grade.

UNIVERSITY POLICIES:
Individuals who have any disability, either permanent or temporary, that might affect their performance in this class are encouraged to inform the instructor at the start of the semester. Adaptation of methods, materials, or testing may be made as required to provide for equitable participation.
The University of Minnesota is committed to the policy that all of its students shall have equal educational opportunities. The University expressly forbids discrimination on the basis of race, color, gender, sexual orientation, disability, veteran’s status, ethnicity, religion, creed, national origin, or marital status. If you believe that your Biology instructor has not followed this policy, you are invited to bring this to the attention of the Biology Department Head (211 Life Science, 736-7263) or the Associate Dean of the College of Science and Engineering (140 Engineering, 726-7585). Your initial conference will be kept confidential.