Advances in Developmental Biology Series

Advances in Developmental Biology was launched as a series by JAI Press in 1992 with the appearance of Volume 1. This series is inextricably linked to the companion series, Advances in Developmental Biochemistry, that was launched at the same time. As stated in the Preface to Volume 1: "Together the two series will provide annual reviews of research topics in developmental biology/biochemistry, written from the perspectives of leading investigators in these fields. It is intended that each review draw heavily form the author's own research contributions and perspective. Thus, the presentations are not necessarily encyclopedic in coverage, nor do they necessarily reflect all opposing views of the subject." Volume 2 of the series follows these same guidelines.

Volume 3 of Advances in Developmental Biology and Biochemistry consists of five chapters that review specific aspects of mammalian and fly development. In Chapter 1, D. Chapman and D. Wolgemuth discuss the role of protein kinases, especially tyrosine-and serine/threonine kinases, in regulating cell cycle events during mammalian gametogenesis. IN Chapter 2, M. Lundell and J. Hirsh discuss the regulation of the DOPA decarboxylase gene during Drosophila development. DO PA decarboxylase is a key enzyme in biogenic amine biosynthesis and its expression is subject to both transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulation. In Chapter 3, S. Potter discusses the role of homeobox genes as master switches determining the developmental destinies of groups of cells during murine development. In Chapter 4, G. Cooper discusses the expression and function of the c-mos proto-oncogene in mammalian germ cells where it plays a central role in regulating the meiotic cell cycle. In Chapter 5, F. Beermann, R. Ganß, and G. Schütz discuss the regulation of pigmentation during mammalian development, with emphasis on the production of melanin in mouse melanocytes.

Volume 3 of Advances in Developmental Biology and Biochemistry consists of five chapters that review specific aspects of mammalian, fly, and ascidian development. In Chapter 1, J. Campos-Ortega discusses mechanisms of neurogenesis in Drosophila, with special attention given to the process of separation of epidermal and neural progenitor cells. In Chapter 2, D. Rappolee and Z. Werb discuss the role of growth factors in early mammalian embryos and compare genes used in mouse with those used in Xenopus and chick. In Chapter 3, E. Linney and A.-S. LaMantia discuss the range of malformations resulting from retinoid teratogenesis, the molecular biology of retinoids, the use of transgenic mice to study retinoid signaling, and differentiation of the CNS in the context of retinoid signaling. In Chapter 4, E. Gavis and R. Lehmann discuss pathways and components involved in RNA localization and targeting in Drosophila oocytes. In Chapter 5, W. Jeffery discusses the use of actin as a tissue-specific marker in studies of ascidian development and evolution

This series provides annual reviews of research topics in developmental biology/biochemistry, written from the perspectives of leading investigators in these fields. This volume of Advances in Developmental Biochemistry consists of seven chapters that review specific aspects of development in several different organisms including mollusks, flies and mice.

Volume 4 of Advances in Developmental Biology and Biochemistry consists of five chapters that review specific aspects of fly and mammalian development. In Chapter 1, Y. Mishina and R. Behringer discuss various aspects of Müllerian-inhibiting substance (MIS) in mammals, from a brief history of its discovery to recent studies of the MIS gene in transgenic and knock-out animals. In Chapter 2, C. Rushlow and S. Roth discuss the role of the dpp-group genes in dorsoventral patterning of the Drosophila embryo. In Chapter 3, M. Yip and H. Lipshitz discuss the terminal (asegmental termini) gene hierarchy of Drosophila and the genetic control of tissue specification and morphogenesis. In Chapter 4, R. Bachvarova discusses induction of mesoderm and the origin of anterior-posterior polarity in the mouse embryo, using the frog embryo as a paradigm. In Chapter 5, P. Vogt discusses human Y chromosome function in male germ cell development.

Skeletal muscle development is perhaps one of the best understood processes at the molecular, cellular and organismal level due in large part to the fact that primary myogenic cells (myoblasts) will grow and subsequently differentiate into myotubes in culture. With the advent of reverse mouse genetics, many of the observations gained through the study of myogenic cells in vitro have been directly tested in vivo. What has emerged is a complex but cohesive story of how myogenic cells are initially specified in the vertebrate embryo and how muscle fibers ultimately achieve their respective identities (i.e. fast versus slow) to perform their function. This collection of chapters is focused on these developments. The book discusses old and new directions for the skeletal muscle field and points out directions where the field may eventually progress.