The Developmental biology course aims to provide the students with the basic knowledge both on  the set of morphogenetic processes leading from zygote to a multicellular organism, formed by different cell types, organized into tissues and organs with a specific localization and function, and about the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying these events.

Developmental biology introduction. The life cycle of organisms: stages of animal development. Origin and specification of the germ layers. Mosaic development mosaic, regulative development. Morphogen gradients and positional information. 
Determination and differentiation. Differentiation potential changes during development. Cell determination and gene expression regulation. Cell differentiation: reversibility and irreversibility of the gene activity pattern. Tissue-specific control of gene expression: the maintenance of cellular diversity. Stem cells: definition, molecular characteristics and their niches maintenance. Stem cells in the adult organism: epidermis, neural stem cells. 

Morphogenesis and cell adhesion. Differential cell adhesion. Cell surface and cell-cell adhesion molecules: cadherins. Extracellular matrix and cell-matrix adhesion molecules. Cell-matrix adhesion molecules leading role in cell migration. Integrins. Integration of cells into tissues. 

Cell communication in development. Cell communication: signaling molecules and their receptors. Intracellular receptors and cell surface receptors. Intracellular signalling. Signaling pathways depending on regulated proteolysis. Embryonic induction and competence. Paracrine and iuxtacrine factors. 

Apoptosis. Apoptosis in animal development. Differences between necrosis and apoptosis. Mechanisms and functions of cell death. Apoptosis stages. Apoptosis regulation: intrinsic and extrinsic pathways. 

Embryology. Spermatogenesis and oogenesis and molecules involved in their regulation. Fertilization and zygote formation. 
Stages of embryonic development: cleavage, gastrulation, neurulation, organogenesis. Formation of the body axes and molecular processes involved. 
Model organisms: development in invertebrates. Developmental stages in amphibians and birds. Development of mammals. Embryonic membranes.

The teaching material prepared by the lecturer in addition to recommended textbooks (such as for instance slides, lecture notes, exercises, bibliography) and communications from the lecturer specific to the course can be found inside the Moodle platform › blended.uniurb.it