Developmental Genetics Lecture Outline

A set of vocabulary flashcards derived from key concepts in developmental genetics, focusing on definitions and significant terms introduced in the lecture.

Development

A series of changes in the state of a cell, tissue, organ, or organism that gives rise to the structure and function of living organisms.

Morphology

The structure or form of an organism.

Zygote

The diploid cell produced when a sperm and egg unite.

Genome

A set of genes that constitutes the program of development.

Model Organisms

Organisms studied by many different researchers to compare results and determine broader scientific principles.

Drosophila melanogaster

The scientific name for the fruit fly, a common model organism with many identified mutant strains.

Caenorhabditis elegans

A nematode worm used as a model organism known for its simplicity and well-characterized cell divisions.

Morphogens

Substances that communicate positional information to cells in a developing organism through concentration gradients.

Homeotic Genes

Genes that encode homeotic proteins, which function as transcription factors to activate specific developmental changes.

Stem Cells

Undifferentiated cells with the capacity to divide and differentiate into various cell types.

Totipotent Stem Cells

Stem cells that can produce all adult cell types, such as fertilized eggs.

Pluripotent Stem Cells

Stem cells that can differentiate into almost any cell type but cannot form an entire organism.

Hematopoietic Stem Cells

Multipotent stem cells that can differentiate into various blood cell types.

Differential Gene Expression

The process by which cells in a multicellular organism express different genes to carry out specific roles.

Apical-Basal Patterning Genes

Genes that control the organization of apical, central, and basal regions in plants.

ABC Model for Flower Development

A model explaining flower organ development based on the interaction of three classes of genes: A, B, and C.

Cell Adhesion Molecules (CAMs)

Proteins that enable cells to adhere to each other and to the extracellular matrix.

Cell Differentiation

The process by which cells change from a less specialized state to a more specialized state.

Apoptosis

Programmed cell death that plays a key role in forming structures such as fingers in developing limbs.

Transcription Factors

Proteins that help regulate the transcription of specific genes by binding to nearby DNA.