Vertebrate embryos develop from a single cell via a complex succession of cell divisions, movements and inductive interactions. The zebrafish, Danio rerio, emerged in recent years as an excellent system in which to study genetic underpinnings of normal human development and its pathologies. Large-scale genetic screens identified thousands of mutant variants that allow in vivo dissection of developmental processes at single cell and molecular resolution.
This book provides the first comprehensive overview of zebrafish embryogenesis: formation and patterning of germ layers, gastrulation movements, and aspects of organogenesis, including formation of somites, cardiovascular system, pronephros and eyes.

Klappentext

Authored by leading experts in the field, this book provides the first comprehensive overview of the mechanisms of early patterning and morphogenesis in zebrafish. It summarizes the current knowledge and the key questions for the next decade of research.

Inhalt

Germ Layer Formation and Early Patterning.- Formation and Patterning Roles of the Yolk Syncytial Layer.- Mesoderm Induction and Patterning.- The Guts of Endoderm Formation.- Organizer Formation and Function.- Dorsoventral Patterning in the Zebrafish: Bone Morphogenetic Proteins and Beyond.- Specification of Left-Right Asymmetry.- Gastrulation Movements.- Life at the Edge: Epiboly and Involution in the Zebrafish.- Cellular and Genetic Mechanisms of Convergence and Extension.- Primordial Germ Cell Development in Zebrafish.- Neural Development.- Patterning the Zebrafish Central Nervous System.- Specification of the Zebrafish Neural Crest.- Neurogenesis and Specification of Neuronal Identity.- Cellular, Genetic and Molecular Mechanisms of Axon Guidance in the Zebrafish.- Aspects of Organogenesis.- Somitogenesis.- Cardiovascular System.- The Pronephros.- The Zebrafish Eye: Developmental and Genetic Analysis.