Cells in Evolutionary Biology: Translating Genotypes into Phenotypes - Past, Present, Future / Edition 1

by Brian K. Hall, Sally A. Moody

Overview

This book is the first in a projected series on Evolutionary Cell Biology, the intent of which is to demonstrate the essential role of cellular mechanisms in transforming the genotype into the phenotype by transforming gene activity into evolutionary change in morphology. This book —Cells in Evolutionary Biology — evaluates the evolution of cells themselves and the role cells have been viewed to play as agents of change at other levels of biological organization. Chapters explore Darwin’s use of cells in his theory of evolution and how Weismann’s theory of the separation of germ plasm from body cells brought cells to center stage in understanding how acquired changes to cells within generations are not passed on to future generations.

Chapter 7 of this book is freely available as a downloadable Open Access PDF at http://www.taylorfrancis.com under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC-BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license. 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781498787864
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	06/12/2018
Series:	Evolutionary Cell Biology
Pages:	294
Product dimensions:	6.12(w) x 9.19(h) x (d)

About the Author

Brian Keith Hall FRSC (born, 1941) is the George S. Campbell Professor of Biology and University Research Professor Emeritus at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Professor Hall has researched and extensively written on bone and cartilage formation in developing vertebrate embryos. He is an active participant in the evolutionary developmental biology (EVO-DEVO) debate on the nature and mechanisms of animal body plan formation. Professor Hall has proposed that the neural crest tissue of vertebrates may be viewed as a fourth embryonic germ layer. As such, the neural crest - in Hall's view - plays a role equivalent to that of the endoderm, mesoderm, and ectoderm of bilaterian development and is a definitive feature of vertebrates (as hypothesized by Gans and Northcutt[1983]). As such, vertebrates are the only quadroblastic, rather than triploblastic bilaterian animals. In vertebrates the neural crest serves to integrate the somatic division (derived from ectoderm and mesoderm) and visceral division (derived from endoderm and mesoderm) together via a wide range novel vertebrate tissues (bone, cartilage, sympathetic nervous system, etc...). He has been associated with Dalhousie University since 1968. Since his retirement in 2007, he has been University Research Professor Emeritus and Emeritus Professor of Biology. (this taken from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_K._Hall ). Sally Moody is Professor of Anatomy and Regenerative Biology and a member of the GW Institute of Neurobiology at George Washington University. Dr. Moody's laboratory studies two aspects of neural developmental gene regulatory networks: (1) molecular mechanisms by which FoxD5, a forkhead/winged helix transcription factor, regulates other neural genes to control the transition from an immature to a pre-differentiation state in the neural plate; and (2) novel co-factors and down-stream targets of the Six1 transcription factor, a key regulatory gene that specifies placode-derived sensory structures of the vertebrate head. This information is being used to discover new genes involved in neural tube and craniofacial birth defects. See: http://www.gwumc.edu/smhs/facultydirectory/profile.cfm?empName=Sally%20Moody&FacID=2046862287

Table of Contents

The role and autonomy of cells in phylogeny and evolution circa 1840-1865. Germ plasm theory and cells in evolutionary biology. The discovery of genes and the rise of genetics from 1900 in usurped cells in evolutionary biology. The study of cells, embryos and evolution through identification of cell lineages. Experimental embryology, nuclear or cytoplasmic control of development. Cytoplasmic inheritance in protozoans and divergent evolution of prokaryotes and eukaryotes. Structural (TEM) analyses of cells: evolution of cells, organelles and cell number. Recognition of the Archaea, different relationships and kingdoms of life. Cellular condensations, modularity and evolution of the phenotype.

Editorial Reviews

"… the book is a very welcome collection of chapters that offers a good overview of the role of cells in EvoDevo. It can be recommended to anyone starting to do research in this field and should be on the bookshelf in all laboratories working in fields related to its contents. In short, a great book that taught me a lot about both subjects I thought I knew something about, and about new and exciting aspects of the role of cells in EvoDevo." Lennart Olsson. 2020. In Evolution & Development, 22.

Cells in Evolutionary Biology is the first volume in a series. It provides a valuable historical context and review not only of the cell and evolutionary biology fields, but of developmental and molecular biology as well. Readers will gain an appreciation for the history and philosophy underlying their fields, a perspective less frequently covered in the basic textbooks used in coursework. The volume includes chapters from authors specializing not only in biology and its subfields, but in culture and philosophy. It opens with the origins of cell theory and germ plasm theory, ideas that laid the groundwork for our modern understanding of evolution. It covers historical debate regarding the origin of eukaryotic cells and of multicellular organisms with differentiated tissue types. It successfully dissects topics generally accepted as fact and guides the reader through the thought process that led to that status. To appreciate this text, a solid understanding of the current science is prerequisite. As such, this extremely interesting volume is best suited to graduate level students and established researchers.
—D. Schulman, Lake Erie College

Summing Up: Recommended. Graduate students through faculty and professionals.

"… the book is a very welcome collection of chapters that offers a good overview of the role of cells in EvoDevo. It can be recommended to anyone starting to do research in this field and should be on the bookshelf in all laboratories working in fields related to its contents. In short, a great book that taught me a lot about both subjects I thought I knew something about, and about new and exciting aspects of the role of cells in EvoDevo." Lennart Olsson. 2020. In Evolution & Development, 22.

"Cells in Evolutionary Biology is the first volume in a series. It provides a valuable historical context and review not only of the cell and evolutionary biology fields, but of developmental and molecular biology as well. Readers will gain an appreciation for the history and philosophy underlying their fields, a perspective less frequently covered in the basic textbooks used in coursework. The volume includes chapters from authors specializing not only in biology and its subfields, but in culture and philosophy. It opens with the origins of cell theory and germ plasm theory, ideas that laid the groundwork for our modern understanding of evolution. It covers historical debate regarding the origin of eukaryotic cells and of multicellular organisms with differentiated tissue types. It successfully dissects topics generally accepted as fact and guides the reader through the thought process that led to that status. To appreciate this text, a solid understanding of the current science is prerequisite. As such, this extremely interesting volume is best suited to graduate level students and established researchers." —D. Schulman, Lake Erie College

Summing Up: Recommended. Graduate students through faculty and professionals.

From the Publisher

Reviewer: Renier Velez-Cruz, PhD (Midwestern University)
Description: The book offers a historical perspective of the early observations in evolutionary biology related to the origin of cells, cell theory, Darwin's work, and the work of many other scientists that documented all those early studies, which is a great introduction to more detailed descriptions of germ cells, somatic cells, cell lineages, the evolution of multicellular organisms, cellular signaling, and multicellular patterning pathways during embryogenesis.
Purpose: This book is one in the Evolutionary Cell Biology series. The authors propose to describe the importance of evolutionary developmental biology in cell biology and stimulate further development of this field so that in current and future cell biology studies, researchers look back and consider how current findings fit within the evolutionary biology window. The authors encourage the readers (cell biologists) to think in the context of evolutionary biology in order to broaden the appeal of future research questions.
Audience: The book offers an interesting look at early observations regarding cell theory and the origin of cells, which is of interest for younger scientists unfamiliar with evolutionary biology. The narrative of how scientist in the 17th century explained cellular division, differentiation, regeneration, and many other subjects offers an interesting historical perspective when placed in the context of what we know today, regardless of readers' area of study. The book is written in accessible language and, thus, researchers at any level would benefit from learning about this historical perspective. The authors and contributors are leaders in their fields of study and well qualified to be part of this book.
Features: The book covers a broad period of evolutionary biology. While the period of the studies described in the book changes, the subject does not change much and remains evolutionary biology. I found particularly interesting the first chapter describing Darwin's work and how scientists of the time thought of cells, inheritance, and cell theory. The book is organized beginning with these descriptions and ending with patterning and embryology. The book does not contain many images, but those that are part of the book are well presented and useful.
Assessment: This book is definitely an important contribution to foster future work that considers evolutionary cell biology. The authors manage to narrate early evolutionary biology with our current understanding of development and I do not believe there are many other books with this focus in mind.

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