Practical Studies of Animal Development

ISBN-13: 9789401168861 / Angielski / Miękka / 2012 / 252 str.

F. S. Billett

Opis

The purpose of this book is twofold: it is meant to serve both as a practical manual for the study of animal development and as a general introduction to the subject. Central to our en- deavour is the belief that developmental biology is best taught and learnt at the laboratory bench, with specimens which are either alive and can be seen to develop or with fresh material derived directly from the egg (as in birds) or mother (as in mammals). Once the dynamic nature of development is appreci- ated and the overall structure of the developing organism discerned the more conventional study of sections and whole mounts is more likely to become a delight rather than a diffi- cult, and often meaningless, chore. We have laid considerable stress on the early development of animal embryos and the ways in which they can be obtained from a relatively few, but reliable, sources. In addition, emphasis has been placed on fairly simple experiments which make use of the embryos and larvae chosen for the purpose of illustrating develop- ment. Embryology ceased to be a descriptive science at the beginning of this century and any practical course, at what- ever level, should attempt to reflect this change. It is true that the analysis of development, particularly the genesis of chor- date structure, owed much to the invention of the microtome.

Spis treści

1 General Requirements.- Animals.- Legal considerations.- The laboratory.- Equipment.- Glassware.- Instruments.- Sources of information.- References.- 2 Echinoderms and Ascidians.- Echinoderms.- Induced spawning and artificial fertilization.- Ascidians.- Ciona intestinalis.- Dendrodoa grossularia.- References.- 3 Molluscs, Annelids and Nematodes.- Molluscs.- Patella.- Crepidula.- Littorina saxatilis.- Annelids.- Tubifex.- Pomatoceros.- Nematodes.- Female reproductive system of Ascaris.- Development of Rhabditis.- References.- 4 Insects and Crustacea.- The Locust.- Life history.- Examination of the ovaries.- Development.- Calliphora.- Maintenance and life cycle.- Demonstration of hormonal control of metamorphosis.- Drosophila.- Life cycle and culture of larvae.- Observations of puffing patterns in the polytene chromosomes.- Crustacea.- Larval forms.- Culture of Artemia saliva.- References.- 5 Fish.- Goldfish.- Examination of the gonads.- Killifish.- General care.- Egg collection and rearing.- Development of Aphyosemion scheeli.- Guppies.- Artificial fertilization.- Experimental Work on Fish Embryos.- Decapsulation.- Explants of the blastoderm.- Experimental analysis of development.- References.- 6 Amphibia.- Xenopus.- Induced spawning.- Development.- Notes on feeding tadpoles.- Axolotls.- Spawning.- Development.- Notes on rearing from the larval stage.- Experiments on Amphibian Embryos.- Artificial fertilization.- Mechanical decapsulation.- Chemical decapsulation.- Exogastrulation.- Ectodermal explants from gastrulae.- Implantation of the dorsal lip of the blastopore.- Optic vesicle transplantation.- Other experiments on amphibian embryos.- Experiments on amphibian larvae.- Lens regeneration from the cornea.- Immunoelectrophoretic analysis of lens proteins.- Thyroxine induced regression of isolated tadpole tails.- References.- 7 Birds.- Examination of the early chick blastoderm.- Isolation of the blastoderm.- Stained preparations.- Culture of chick blastoderms.- Removal and culture of the blastoderm.- Preparation of chorio-allantoic grafts.- Isolation of limb buds.- Preparation of host embryos.- References.- 8 Mammals.- The oestrous cycle in the mouse.- Preparation of vaginal smears.- Examination of unfertilized ova from superovulated mice.- Superovulation.- Female reproductive system.- Isolation of living, unfertilized eggs.- Reproductive system of the male mouse.- Male reproductive system.- Examination of spermatozoa.- Examination of mouse embryos up to and including the blastocyst stage.- Timing of matings.- Removal of eggs from the oviduct.- Removal of blastocycts from the uterus.- In vitro culture of mouse eggs and egg fusion technique.- Culturing eight cell and earlier stage eggs.- Removal of the zona pellucida and fusion of eggs.- Arrangement of the foetal membranes in the rabbit and localization of immunoglobulin in the yolk sac splanchnopleur.- Examination of the rabbit conceptus.- Preparation of tissue for treatment with fluorescent labelled antibodies.- Immunofluorescent staining.- References.