Ascidians are the invertebrate group that gave rise to vertebrates, thus the biology of ascidians provides an essential key to understanding both invertebrates and vertebrates. This book is the first to cover all areas of ascidian biology, including development, evolution, biologically active substances, heavy metal accumulation, asexual reproduction, host-defense mechanisms, allorecognition mechanisms, comparative immunology, neuroscience, taxonomy, ecology, genome science, and food science. The 69 articles that make up the collection were contributed by leading ascidiologists from all over the world who participated in the First International Symposium on the Biology of Ascidians, held in June 2000 in Sapporo, Japan. For scientists and students alike, the book is an invaluable source of information from the latest, most comprehensive studies of ascidian biology.

Animal evolution has always been at the core of Biology, but even today many fundamental questions remain open. The field of animal ‘evo-devo’ is leveraging recent technical and conceptual advances in development, paleontology, genomics and transcriptomics to propose radically different answers to traditional evolutionary controversies. This book is divided into four parts, each of which approaches animal evolution from a different perspective. The first part (chapters 2 and 3) investigates how new sources of evidence have changed conventional views of animal origins, while the second (chapters 4–8) addresses the connection between embryogenesis and evolution, and the genesis of cellular, tissue and morphological diversity. The third part (chapters 9 and 10) investigates how big data in molecular biology is transforming our understanding of the mechanisms governing morphological change in animals. In closing, the fourth part (chapters 11–13) explores new theoretical and conceptual approaches to animal evolution. ‘Old questions and young approaches to animal evolution’ offers a comprehensive and updated view of animal evolutionary biology that will serve both as a first step into this fascinating field for students and university educators, and as a review of complementary approaches for researchers.

Epigenetics and Regeneration compiles the first foundational reference on epigenetic mechanisms governing tissue development, repair, homeostasis, and regeneration, as well as pathways to employ these mechanisms in clinical practice and translational science. In this book, life science researchers, clinicians, and students will discover an interdisciplinary resource bringing together common themes in the field, background overviews, research methods, recent advances, and opportunities for drug discovery. Throughout this volume, special attention is paid to pre-clinical and first clinical studies aimed at increasing the regenerative potential of damaged tissues by epigenetic drugs, as well as innovative, discipline spanning strategies to enhance cell reprogramming. As an all-inclusive, evidence-based volume, Epigenetics and Regeneration will stimulate discussion and boost new research in this fascinating and impactful area of translational epigenetics. - Provides a foundational overview of epigenetics in regenerative medicine - Examines epigenetic components of tissue regeneration for a variety of organ systems and tissue types, as well as current attempts to employ these mechanisms in clinical practice - Offers researchers, students, clinicians, and pharmacologists the tools they need to enhance tissue development, repair, homeostasis, and regeneration and explore new epigenetic therapeutic pathways - Features chapter contributions from leading international researchers and clinicians in the fields of epigenetics and regenerative medicine

An ever-growing roster of model organisms is a hallmark of 21st century Developmental Biology. Emerging model organisms are well suited to asking some fascinating and important questions that cannot be addressed using established model systems. And new methods are increasingly facilitating the adoption of new research organisms in laboratories. This volume is written by some of the scientists who have played pivotal roles in developing new models or in significantly advancing tools in emerging systems. - Presents some of the most interesting additions to the core set of model organisms - Contains contributions from people who have developed new model systems or advanced tools - Includes personal stories about how and why model systems were developed

The marriage of evolutionary biology with developmental biology has resulted in the formation of a new field, evolutionary developmental biology, or "evo-devo. This volume reviews current research findings and thought in the broad field of evo-devo, looking at the developmental genetic mechanisms that cause variation and how alterations of these mechanisms can generate novel structural changes in a variety of plant and animal life. - Reviews current research findings and thought on evolutionary developmental biology, providing researchers an overview and synthesis of the latest research findings and contemporary thought in the area - Includes chapters discussing the evolutionary development of a wide variety of organisms and allows researchers to compare and contrast how genes are expressed in a variety of organisms—from fly to frog, to humans - Emphasizes the role of regulatory DNA in evolutionary development to give researchers perspective on how the regions of the genome that control gene expression and the protein factors that bind them are ultimately responsible for the diversity of life that has evolved

This book is a foundational, illustrative survey of troublesome ideas in genetics and embryology as they apply to the ear and tactile organs serving hearing and adjust. It gives a one of a kind asset that brings atomic, cell and frameworks level systems together to hold up under on understanding the ontogeny of hearing and vestibular faculties. Various representations are utilized to help pass on current thoughts. Genes and gene items related with layer channels, atomic flagging falls, translation elements and more are characterized here. The creators clarify the significance of genes, sub-atomic flagging and cell associations to typical improvement and also to human inward ear sickness including deafness and adjust issue. The detonating measure of new data on formative sub-atomic systems is incorporated with new and since quite a while ago settled disclosures about useful and anatomical changes amid ontogeny. Recent advances in fish cytogenetics have upgraded the enthusiasm for chromosome examination in both crucial (systematics and near genomics among angles and other vertebrate gatherings) and connected (aquaculture, preservation and reaction to poisons, entire genome sequencing of model fish species) investigate. Despite the fact that the genomic material, the chromosomes, is fundamentally the same in the different creatures, encounter has plainly demonstrated that fish chromosomes must be taken care of with particular conventions.