Of trunks and tails: creating shape diversity among vertebrates
| Dates: | 25 March 2014 |
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| Times: | 13:00 - 14:00 |
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| What is it: | Seminar |
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| Organiser: | Faculty of Life Sciences |
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| Who is it for: | University staff, Current University students |
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| Speaker: | Moises Mallo |
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This seminar is part of the Tissue Systems seminar series. Despite their diversity, all vertebrates share several anatomical features, including the presence of a head and a body with a neck, a trunk and a tail. Diversity is then mostly associated with their absolute body lengths and with the relative size of the neck, trunk and tail within their bodies. The production of each of these anatomical areas relies on the activity of specific sets of progenitors located at the caudal end of the developing embryo. The switch from making one body area to another is typically associated with changes in the specific behavior of those progenitors and of their morphogenetic potential. Using the mouse as the experimental model system, I will discuss some of the key elements controlling the transition from making a trunk to making a tail, and how this might impact the evolution of the vertebrate body plan. In addition, I will show examples of coordination between the mechanisms controlling these transitions and the patterning/differentiation programs of the resulting progenitors, eventually leading to the development of a body with appropriate organization of their components.
Speaker
Moises Mallo
Organisation: Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciencia
Travel and Contact Information
Find event
Lecture Theatre
Michael Smith Building
Manchester
