title: Developmental biology of the leech Helobdella.
abstract: Glossiphoniid leeches of the genus Helobdella provide experimentally tractable models for studies in evolutionary developmental biology (Evo-Devo). Here, after a brief rationale, we will summarize our current understanding of Helobdella development and highlight the near term prospects for future investigations, with respect to the issues of: D quadrant specification; the transition from spiral to bilaterally symmetric cleavage; segmentation, and the connections between segmental and non-segmental tissues; modifications of BMP signaling in dorsoventral patterning and the O-P equivalence group; germ line specification and genome rearrangements. The goal of this contribution is to serve as a summary of, and guide to, published work.
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, USA.
authors.forename: David A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Weisblat
authors.forename: Dian-Han
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Kuo
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005075:Biological Evolution; D019521:Body Patterning / Q000502:physiology*; D002455:Cell Division; D019070:Cell Lineage; D004625:Embryo, Nonmammalian / Q000196:embryology*; D004707:Endoderm / Q000196:embryology; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D005854:Germ Cells / Q000254:growth & development; D007865:Leeches / Q000145:classification / Q000196:embryology* / Q000254:growth & development; D020935:MAP Kinase Signaling System / Q000502:physiology