BIO 305 Study Guide - Midterm Guide: Notch Signaling Pathway, Somite, Cellular Differentiation
Document Summary
Can have various effects during development of different tissues and organs. Allow cell proliferation and prevent cellular differentiation or vice versa. Critical for normal development o examples of notch-type signaling in c. elegans , drosophila , and vertebrates. In drosophila: notch activity is critical in the early embryo for distinguishing epidermal and neural tissue. Epidermal and neural cells develop from a common precursor cell type. Normal development relies on the correct ratio of epidermal and neural cells. Notch signaling limits the neural fate and/ or promotes the epidermal fate. Vertebrate notch activity is critical for the segmentation clock that positions somite boundaries. Vertebrate somites become dermis, skeletal muscle and vertebrae. Altered notch signaling can change the pattern of somite formation. Add notch expressing cells and see if the somite boundary can be shifted gain of function experiment. A new somite boundary forms at location of notch-expressing cells. C. elegans biology o life cycle / developmental stages.
