
Emerging Model Systems in Developmental Biology
- 1st Edition, Volume 147 - March 23, 2022
- Imprint: Academic Press
- Editors: Bob Goldstein, Mansi Srivastava
- Language: English
- Hardback ISBN:9 7 8 - 0 - 1 2 - 8 2 0 1 5 4 - 1
- eBook ISBN:9 7 8 - 0 - 1 2 - 8 2 0 1 6 0 - 2
An ever-growing roster of model organisms is a hallmark of 21st century Developmental Biology. Emerging model organisms are well suited to asking some fascinating and important… Read more

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Request a sales quoteAn ever-growing roster of model organisms is a hallmark of 21st century Developmental Biology. Emerging model organisms are well suited to asking some fascinating and important questions that cannot be addressed using established model systems. And new methods are increasingly facilitating the adoption of new research organisms in laboratories. This volume is written by some of the scientists who have played pivotal roles in developing new models or in significantly advancing tools in emerging systems.
- Presents some of the most interesting additions to the core set of model organisms
- Contains contributions from people who have developed new model systems or advanced tools
- Includes personal stories about how and why model systems were developed
Basic scientists in cell and developmental biology and evolutionary biology; students and postdoctoral fellows who would like to enter these fields and make further discoveries.
- Cover
- Title Page
- Table of Contents
- Copyright
- Contributors
- Preface
- Chapter One: The liverwort Marchantia polymorpha, a model for all ages
- Abstract
- 1: Why a liverwort and why Marchantia?
- 2: The sexual life cycle
- 3: The future
- Acknowledgments
- References
- Chapter Two: The wild grass Brachypodium distachyon as a developmental model system
- Abstract
- 1: An evolutionary perspective on Brachypodium distachyon as a model in the grass family (Poaceae)
- 2: Genomics enabled developmental biology
- 3: Brachypodium distachyon as a model for Pooid development
- 4: Transition to flowering
- 5: Flower development
- 6: Development of stomatal pores and leaf epidermal patterning
- 7: Development of monocotyledonous root systems and root hair patterning
- 8: Joys and pains of working with a new model system: A personal perspective
- 9: Trials & tribulations
- Acknowledgements
- References
- Chapter Three: The history of Salpingoeca rosetta as a model for reconstructing animal origins
- Abstract
- 1: Introduction
- 2: S. rosetta growth and life history in the laboratory
- 3: Forward genetics and the hunt for rosette defective mutants
- 4: Gene delivery and genome editing in S. rosetta
- 5: The door is now open to study the molecular biology of S. rosetta and other relatives of animals
- Acknowledgments
- References
- Chapter Four: Emerging models: The “development” of the ctenophore Mnemiopsis leidyi and the cnidarian Nematostella vectensis as useful experimental models
- Abstract
- 1: Introduction
- 2: Lessons from the genome
- 3: Final thoughts on the comparison of Mnemiopsis and Nematostella development
- References
- Chapter Five: Past, present and future of Clytia hemisphaerica as a laboratory jellyfish
- Abstract
- 1: Introduction and historical background
- 2: Practical state of the art
- 3: Gametogenesis
- 4: Embryogenesis
- 5: Medusa formation and regeneration
- 6: Genomics of the jellyfish
- 7: Perspectives
- Acknowledgments
- References
- Chapter Six: Studying development, regeneration, stem cells, and more in the acoel Hofstenia miamia
- Abstract
- 1: Why was Hofstenia brought to the lab?
- 2: Who is Hofstenia?
- 3: Why is Hofstenia a good research organism?
- 4: What is Hofstenia helping us understand?
- 5: What's the outlook?
- Acknowledgments
- References
- Chapter Seven: Tardigrades and their emergence as model organisms
- Abstract
- 1: Emergence of a model system: A personal history
- 2: Tardigrades
- 3: Early descriptions of tardigrade development
- 4: Raising H. exemplaris cultures in a lab
- 5: Our early descriptive work on the animals and their development
- 6: The tardigrade toolbox: Resources for tardigrade research
- 7: Using tardigrades to contribute to understanding of how animal body plans evolve
- 8: Using tardigrades to contribute to understanding how biological materials can survive extremes
- 9: Unanswered questions and future prospects
- Acknowledgments
- References
- Chapter Eight: The crustacean model Parhyale hawaiensis
- Abstract
- 1: Natural habitat and lifecycle
- 2: From mangrove to lab
- 3: Major interests and research questions
- 4: Experimental tools, approaches and resources
- 5: Research community
- Acknowledgments/Funding
- References
- Chapter Nine: My road to the ants: A model clade for eco-evo-devo
- Abstract
- 1: Introduction
- 2: Serendipitous beginnings
- 3: Finding the ants and the unsung heroes of science
- 4: The first analysis of gene regulatory networks underlying polyphenic development (Abouheif & Wray, 2002)
- 5: Supersoldier ants and the storage and release of ancestral developmental potential in biological systems (Rajakumar et al., 2012)
- 6: Rudimentary organs acquire novel functions and store ancestral developmental potential (Rajakumar et al., 2018)
- 7: Conclusion: The future of ants as a model clade for eco-evo-devo
- Acknowledgments
- References
- Chapter Ten: Cricket: The third domesticated insect
- Abstract
- 1: Introduction
- 2: Advantages as a model system
- 3: Conclusion
- References
- Chapter Eleven: Schmidtea happens: Re-establishing the planarian as a model for studying the mechanisms of regeneration
- Abstract
- 1: Introduction
- 2: PAN's planarian travelog: From flies in Boulder to flatworms in Barcelona
- 3: ASA's journey: From mice to frogs to planarians
- 4: Laying the foundation: From York to Carnegie Embryology
- 5: Concluding thoughts
- Acknowledgments
- References
- Chapter Twelve: The good, the bad, and the ugly: From planarians to parasites
- Abstract
- 1: Seeing the parallels (PAN)
- 2: Schisto happens, too: Becoming a full-fledged parasitology lab (JJC)
- 3: Transitioning to tapeworms… (PAN)
- 4: Resurrecting a model tapeworm: Hymenolepis diminuta (TR)
- 5: Concluding thoughts
- Acknowledgments
- References
- Chapter Thirteen: Slipper snail tales: How Crepidula fornicata and Crepidula atrasolea became model molluscs
- Abstract
- 1: Introduction
- 2: Natural history of the genus Crepidula
- 3: Crepidula are well-suited for studying the links between ecology, evolution, and development
- 4: Why did we choose C. fornicata?
- 5: How did evo-devo research with C. fornicata start up again?
- 6: Growing the Crepidula evo-devo community
- 7: Evolution of the spiralian embryonic organizer
- 8: Axial patterning and the primary quartet micromeres
- 9: Unique sources of mesoderm
- 10: Shell development and biomineralization
- 11: Sex determination
- 12: Crepidula atrasolea: A complementary model system
- 13: Development of an automated rack system to culture Crepidula
- 14: What's on the horizon for Crepidula research?
- 15: Join #TeamCrepidula
- Acknowledgments
- References
- Chapter Fourteen: Sifting through the mud: A tale of building the annelid Capitella teleta for EvoDevo studies
- Abstract
- 1: History and context: Why Capitella?
- 2: Phylogenetic position, body plan and life cycle of the annelid Capitella teleta
- 3: Favorable properties of Capitella for development and regeneration studies
- 4: Building the tools: Challenges and successes
- 5: Attributes of the genome: Stable and slowly evolving
- 6: Impacts on the field of spiralian development
- 7: Insights from neurogenesis studies
- 8: Regeneration of the germline
- 9: Unfinished business: Evolution of the segmented body plan
- 10: Reflections and recommendations
- Acknowledgments
- References
- Chapter Fifteen: Glossiphoniid leeches as a touchstone for studies of development in clitellate annelids
- Abstract
- 1: Deep background
- 2: Origins of biodiversity
- 3: Ontogeny and phylogeny of leech developmental and neuro biology: 19th Century roots
- 4: 20th Century: From articulata to lophotrochozoa/spiralia
- 5: Segmentation
- 6: Molecular studies of “segmentation genes”
- 7: Genome evolution
- 8: Back to the future: Neural fate specification
- 9: Eco-evo-devo
- 10: Conclusion
- Acknowledgments
- References
- Chapter Sixteen: Journey beyond the embryo: The beauty of Pristina and naidine annelids for studying regeneration and agametic reproduction
- Abstract
- 1: Introduction
- 2: Beginning the journey
- 3: Rediscovering naids: A brief overview of a long history of naid research
- 4: The beauty of Pristina and naidines as research study systems
- 5: Reckoning with adults: The challenges of mobility and sensitivity
- 6: Evolution of fission and regeneration: Contributions from naids
- 7: Lessons learned while establishing a new study system
- 8: Final remarks on establishing a new study system
- Acknowledgments
- References
- Chapter Seventeen: Streblospio benedicti: A genetic model for understanding the evolution of development and life-history
- Abstract
- 1: Choosing the best system to answer the big questions
- 2: Poecilogony: A collection of exceptions
- 3: Embryology, larval morphology, and developmental differences
- 4: Natural distribution and ecological factors
- 5: Assortative mating and intermediate larvae
- 6: Population genetics, selection, and frequency-dependence
- 7: Caveats and tools for emerging model systems
- 8: New possibilities and next steps
- Acknowledgments
- References
- Chapter Eighteen: The arm of the starfish: The far-reaching applications of Patiria miniata as a model system in evolutionary, developmental, and regenerative biology
- Abstract
- 1: Historical use of sea stars in biological research
- 2: Sea stars in the lab
- 3: Developing the molecular toolkit
- 4: Developing the bioinformatic toolkit
- 5: Frontiers of sea star research
- 6: Conclusion
- Acknowledgements
- References
- Chapter Nineteen: Saccoglossus kowalevskii: Evo-devo insights from the mud
- Abstract
- 1: Historical focus on Saccoglossus
- 2: Reviving a model
- 3: Summary of early results and conclusions
- 4: Expanding horizons
- 5: Building a research community
- 6: Take aways
- Acknowledgments
- References
- Chapter Twenty: The invertebrate chordate amphioxus gives clues to vertebrate origins
- Abstract
- 1: Introduction
- 2: The phylogenetic position of cephalochcordates
- 3: Rate of evolution and developmental mode
- 4: Insights amphioxus has yielded about how vertebrates evolved
- 5: The future of amphioxus as a “model organism”
- 6: Future directions
- 7: Conclusion
- Acknowledgments
- References
- Further reading
- Chapter Twenty-One: Big insight from the little skate: Leucoraja erinacea as a developmental model system
- Abstract
- 1: Introduction
- 2: Collection and husbandry of little skate brood stock
- 3: Management of little skate egg stocks
- 4: Selected stages of skate embryonic development
- 5: Observation, manipulation and culture of little skate embryos
- 6: Skates offer insight into ancestral and derived jawed vertebrate developmental mechanisms
- 7: Conclusion
- Acknowledgments
- References
- Chapter Twenty-Two: The Axolotl's journey to the modern molecular era
- Abstract
- 1: Introduction—Reemerging the classic axolotl model into the molecular era
- 2: Live cell imaging and functional studies by transient transfection
- 3: The trick to transgenics and its transformative influence on studying regenerative cells
- 4: Viral transduction systems to study limb regeneration
- 5: Overcoming a major obstacle—Assembly of the giant axolotl genome
- 6: The remarkable, enabling era of genome editing
- 7: Parallel developments in other salamanders
- 8: Concluding remarks
- Acknowledgments
- References
- Chapter Twenty-Three: A remarkable rodent: Regeneration and reproduction in spiny mice (Acomys)
- Abstract
- 1: Introduction
- 2: Regnerative biology
- 3: Reproduction and developmental biology
- 4: Future perspectives
- Acknowledgments
- References
- Edition: 1
- Volume: 147
- Published: March 23, 2022
- Imprint: Academic Press
- No. of pages: 726
- Language: English
- Hardback ISBN: 9780128201541
- eBook ISBN: 9780128201602
BG
Bob Goldstein
Bob Goldstein is the James L. Peacock III Distinguished Professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His laboratory uses C. elegans as a model for discovering fundamental mechanisms in cell and developmental biology, and he has developed tardigrades as emerging models for studying the evolution of development and how biological materials can survive extreme conditions.
Affiliations and expertise
University of North Carolina, USAMS
Mansi Srivastava
Mansi Srivastava is the John L. Loeb Associate Professor of the Natural Sciences in the Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology and a Curator of Invertebrate Zoology in the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard University. She developed the three-banded panther worm as a new research organism, which her laboratory uses to study the evolution of development, regeneration, and stem cells.
Affiliations and expertise
Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, MA, USARead Emerging Model Systems in Developmental Biology on ScienceDirect