Current Topics in Developmental Biology provides a comprehensive survey of the major topics in the field of developmental biology. The volumes are valuable to researchers in animal and plant development, as well as to students and professionals who want an introduction to cellular and molecular mechanisms of development. The series has recently passed its 30-year mark, making it the longest-running forum for contemporary issues in developmental biology.

The chapters contained in this two-volume set provide a broad perspective on the novel strategies and conceptual paradigms that drive the current resurgence of interest in somitogenesis - the process by which somites form and elaborate differentiated tissues and structures. Because somites are a ubiquitous feature of vertebrate embryos, they can be studied in a variety of experimental animal models including those amenable to genetic (zebrafish, mammalian), molecular/genetic (mammalian, avian) as well as those already well established for classical experimental embryological and cell biological studies (amphibians, avian). The wide variety of experimental approaches to somitogenesis that are presented in these volumes will leave the reader with a broad perspective on how current research in somitogenesis is helping to solve fundamental questions in vertebrate development and morphogenesis.
Key Features
* Novel transcriptional mechanisms that control repetitive pattern formation
* Wide-scale genetic screens for mutations affecting somitogenesis
* Molecular/genetic control of pattern and tissue formation during somitogenesis
* Transplantation of mouse embryo somites
* Classical embryological approaches and concepts
* Evolutionary perspectives on somitogenesis

The editors present, in a single volume, a valuable reference source for students of mammalian embryology, genetics, and physiology, this book provides a thorough overview of the field of embryonic development - its current status along with possible directions in the future.