A microbial perspective of human developmental biology

Calcific Aortic Valve Disease: a Developmental Biology Perspective

PURPOSE OF REVIEW This review aims to highlight the past and more current literature related to the multifaceted pathogenic programs that contribute to calcific aortic valve disease (CAVD) with a focus on the contribution of developmental programs. RECENT FINDINGS Calcification of the aortic valve is an active process characterized by calcific nodule formation on the aortic surface leading to...

Evolution of the neocortex: Perspective from developmental biology

The enlargement and species-specific elaboration of the cerebral neocortex during evolution holds the secret of humans’ mental abilities; however, the genetic origin and cellular mechanisms generating the distinct evolutionary advancements are not well understood. This article describes how novelties that make us human may have been introduced during evolution, based on findings in the embryoni...

Natural Killer T Cells: An Ecological Evolutionary Developmental Biology Perspective

Type I natural killer T (NKT) cells are innate-like T lymphocytes that recognize glycolipid antigens presented by the MHC class I-like protein CD1d. Agonistic activation of NKT cells leads to rapid pro-inflammatory and immune modulatory cytokine and chemokine responses. This property of NKT cells, in conjunction with their interactions with antigen-presenting cells, controls downstream innate a...

Fruits: A Developmental Perspective.

Embryonic development in many angiosperms occurs concomitantly with the development of the ovary into a specialized organ, the fruit, which provides a suitable environment for seed maturation and often a mechanism for the dispersa1 of mature seeds, as Darwin observed. Despite centuries of intensive genetic selection of agriculturally valuable fruit, we still lack most information about how frui...

Description of the human races: A historical perspective