Molecular Adhesion Codes in Geometric Regulation of Bilaterian Morphogenesis

A special issue of Symmetry (ISSN 2073-8994).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2014) | Viewed by 6369

Special Issue Editor

Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199, USA
Interests: azulenyl nitrones; spin trapping; neuroprotection; free radicals; morphogenesis; bilateral symmetry; cadherins; zygo-dodecahedral brain model; geometrical music theory

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Leonardo Da Vinci’s famous “Vitruvian Man” is a work that, in many, evokes a profound appreciation for the importance of symmetry and geometry in the underlying morphogenetic phenomena that intrinsically govern the assemblage of trillions of cells into the precise configuration that characterizes the human body plan. Can science unravel the elegant forces that so adroitly shape us? Great strides in this direction for various bilaterians have emerged (e.g., Shh, homeobox codes, BMP, chordin, WNT), yet the picture is far from complete.
The last decade has seen a number of studies highlighting the role of sets of cell adhesion molecules such as cadherins in the patterning of structures in the developing chicken spinal cord, the murine basal ganglia, and the legs of the insect gryllus bimaculatus. Recent work has put forth the notion that the overall morphology of the human brain is that of an icosahedrally-derived zygo-dodecahedron and that known heterophilic binding proclivities of certain type II cadherins may figure prominently in the construction of such a zygo-dodecahedral entity. This special issue of Symmetry welcomes contributions that document forays, be they experimental or theoretical, into molecular adhesion networks as geometric underpinnings in the developmental biology that gives rise to the bodies and/or body parts of either humans or other animals within the vast bilaterian subkingdom.

Prof. Dr. David A. Becker
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • morphogenesis
  • developmental biology
  • cell adhesion molecules
  • adhesion networks
  • biogeometry
  • bilaterians

Published Papers (1 paper)

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Review

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Review
Adhesive/Repulsive Codes in Vertebrate Forebrain Morphogenesis
by Florencia Cavodeassi
Symmetry 2014, 6(3), 704-721; https://doi.org/10.3390/sym6030704 - 14 Aug 2014
Cited by 26 | Viewed by 5999
Abstract
The last fifteen years have seen the identification of some of the mechanisms involved in anterior neural plate specification, patterning, and morphogenesis, which constitute the first stages in the formation of the forebrain. These studies have provided us with a glimpse into the [...] Read more.
The last fifteen years have seen the identification of some of the mechanisms involved in anterior neural plate specification, patterning, and morphogenesis, which constitute the first stages in the formation of the forebrain. These studies have provided us with a glimpse into the molecular mechanisms that drive the development of an embryonic structure, and have resulted in the realization that cell segregation in the anterior neural plate is essential for the accurate progression of forebrain morphogenesis. This review summarizes the latest advances in our understanding of mechanisms of cell segregation during forebrain development, with and emphasis on the impact of this process on the morphogenesis of one of the anterior neural plate derivatives, the eyes. Full article
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