Evolution and Development

Course manual 2025/2026

Course content

The development of a single cell, the fertilized egg cell, into a complex organism with all its tissue and organs in the right place is one of the most intriguing phenomena in biology. Whereas disciplines like molecular and cell biology study molecular mechanisms that operate in individual cells, developmental biology aims to understand how such mechanisms make many cells work together in a coherent way to form an entire organism. Furthermore, we will address how during evolution genetic alterations (mutations) modified these developmental programs resulting in the perplexing divergence of body shape of plant and animals

Objectives

• The large overarching objective is to gain insight into (i) the molecular mechanisms that drive development of animals and plants and (ii) how these mechanisms were changed during evolution to create the enormous morphological and anatomical diversity found in the animal and plant kingdom
• Understanding and being able to explain how the development of pluripotent (stem) cells into fully differentiated cells is governed by gene regulation and why loss of pluripotency is usually irreversible
• Understanding how gene expression can be measured, explaining pros and cons of distinct methods, and being able to analyze and interpret gene expression analysis data
• Being able to explain general concepts/processes in developmental biology, such as patterning, determination of “cell fate” and how these are studied in experimental setting
• Being able to explain the role of morphogens and organizers in development and illustrating this by means of specific examples
• Understanding and being able to explain how at the molecular level how the very first steps in the development of animal embryos, such as the specification of body axes, are initiated by maternal genes during the development of the egg and being able to describe the experimental evidence for this.
• Gaining insight at the molecular level how the asymmetric distribution of (maternal) gene products ultimately leads to a segmented embryo and how the identity of different segments (thorax, abdomen, etc.) is specified in fruitflies and vertebrates.
• Understanding how it is possible for deeply conserved genes to direct the development of organisms with very different building plans and to explain the molecular basis of morphological diversification during evolution.
• Understanding, and being able to discuss the relative importance of mutations in cis-regulatory regions or proteins coding regions for the rewiring of developmental gene network and the establishment of morphological diversity

Teaching methods

• Lecture
• Computer lab session/practical training
• Self-study
• Supervision/feedback meeting

LECTURES:  teach theoretical background. We aim to ensure that lectures are interactive, not one-way traffic from a talking teacher to listening students

PRACTICUM: The practicum is set up a a small research project in which students address, step by step, in a series of connected experiments, a larger overarching question. The practicum is supported by labbuddy, to help/stimulate students to think about larger research questions, break them up in smaller approachable subquestions, and learn how in a research setting an experiment answers some questions and triggers new (deeper) questions that are addressed in the next experiment

Learning activities

Attendance

Additional requirements for this course:

As usual (see the OER), attendance of lab classes (practicum), as well as associated computer practica (“labbuddy”), introductory lectures, and work discussions is mandatory. For clarity, the mandatory lectures (by Francesca Quattrocchio) associated with the practicum are indicated as work groups (‘werkcolleges’) in the time schedule, even when the format is different from a standard werkcollege

If you cannot attend one of the mandatory meetings (because of dramatic circumstances in family, sickness etc.) you should notify one of us. If your absence takes more than 1 week, you should also notify your study adviser.

Assessment

Practicumtoes 1 is een korte multiple choice toets. Practicumtoes 2 is "open boek" Je mag hierbij practicumhandleiding, aantekeningen en PPTs van voorcolleges gebruiken. Tentamen bestaat uit een mix van multiple choice en openvragen. Alle 3 toetende maken jullie "old school" op papier.

Fraud and plagiarism

The 'Regulations governing fraud and plagiarism for UvA students' applies to this course. This will be monitored carefully. Upon suspicion of fraud or plagiarism the Examinations Board of the programme will be informed. For the 'Regulations governing fraud and plagiarism for UvA students' see: www.student.uva.nl

Course structure

Contact information

Coordinator

• dr. A. Kuhn PhD

Staff

• M. Bliek ing.
• dr. Francesca Quattrocchio