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SUMMARY:From cells to embryo: the magic of gastrulation - Professor Claudi
 o Stern
DTSTART:20080225T200000Z
DTEND:20080225T213000Z
UID:TALK8837@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Keith Macaulay
DESCRIPTION:Lewis Wolpert suggested that gastrulation is a more important 
 event in our lives than marriage\, birth or death. It is during gastrulati
 on that cells first organise themselves into layers and communicate with o
 ne another\, they move around the embryo to generate form and the embryo s
 tarts to fix its initial body pattern. Most of what we know about this com
 es from experiments in frogs and fish\, which gastrulate differently from 
 amniotes (reptiles\, birds and mammals). Furthermore\, many fundamental qu
 estions remain unanswered\, including: what mechanisms control embryo pola
 rity and ensure that only a single axis forms (rather than twins)? Do cell
 s acquire their distinct identity (fate) and then move to the correct loca
 tions\, or do they move before becoming specified? In either case\, where 
 are the instructions that direct cell movements to their destinations? Wha
 t makes aminotes different from frogs and fish at this stage of developmen
 t? In this talk I will explore how we are approaching these questions usin
 g a combination of experimental embryology\, molecular genetics and modern
  imaging technology.
LOCATION:Pharmacology Lecture Theatre\, Department of Pharmacology\, Tenni
 s Court Road
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