Cellular and Molecular Basis of Animal Growth and Development

Description

Animal development, which begins with cells originating from one or more parent persons, is the process that eventually results in the formation of a new animal. Thus, development happens after the process through which the parent generation of organisms produces the next generation of organisms. Growth is the process through which an animal gets bigger over time. It can be measured in various ways, including physical attributes like height or length, but the most typical one is a shift in body weight. The rate of deposition of the main chemical components of the tissues can also be used to characterize growth. Studies on the carbon and nitrogen balance as well as energy balance measures, are frequently used to characterize animal growth. The mechanisms of hyperplasia (increasing cell number) and hypertrophy cause growth (increased cell size). Organ systems are composed of various tissue types organized to give organs their shape and functionality. Growth is characterized by an increase in the volume and the number of cells that make up a particular tissue or organ. This increase occurs in a dynamic manner that includes not only the addition of new cells or materials but also the decomposition of older, dying cells and the removal of cell constituents. Proteins, lipids, nucleic acids, carbohydrates, water, and mineral components undergo dynamic turnover in the cells. The molecular and anatomical basics discussed in this chapter have been modified through evolution to create the amazing variety of current species. The study of the development of one animal, however, frequently provides broad insights into the development of many different types of animals due to the underlying conservation of genes and pathways. The material in the book approaches this lengthy debate in a novel and straightforward manner. The authors track the evolution of antibody amino acid sequences (especially those of the myeloma proteins) using computer analysis and compare their findings to those predicted by various diversification hypotheses.