title: Developmental Biology: We Are All Walking Mutants.
abstract: What is Developmental Biology? Developmental Biology is a discipline that evolved from the collective fields of embryology, morphology, and anatomy, which firmly established that structure underpins function. In its simplest terms, Developmental Biology has come to describe how a single cell becomes a completely formed organism. However, this definition of Developmental Biology is too narrow. Developmental Biology describes the properties of individual cells; their organization into tissues, organs, and organisms; their homeostasis, regeneration, aging, and ultimately death. Developmental Biology provides a context for cellular reprogramming, stem cell biology, regeneration, tissue engineering, evolutionary development and ecology, and involves the reiterated use of the same cellular mechanisms and signaling pathways throughout the lifespan of an organism. Using neural crest cells as an example, this review explores the contribution of Developmental Biology to our understanding of development, evolution, and disease.
authors.affiliation: Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas, USA. Electronic address: pat@stowers.org.
authors.forename: Paul A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Trainor
mesh_terms: D015509:Developmental Biology; D004194:Disease / Q000235:genetics*; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D050437:Genes, Developmental / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D009154:Mutation / Q000235:genetics*; D015398:Signal Transduction
keywords: Birth defects; Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition; Evolution; Neural crest cells; Neurocristopathies