Questions regarding neuralation/gastrulation

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the processes of neuralation and gastrulation in vertebrates and invertebrates, focusing on the structural differences in the nerve cord and the mechanisms guiding cell movement during invagination. The scope includes biological concepts relevant to embryology and developmental biology.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • One participant notes that during neuralation, vertebrate nerve cords form as tubes while invertebrate nerve cords are rods, questioning the reasons for this difference.
  • Another participant suggests that the mechanism of formation differs between vertebrates and invertebrates, mentioning the role of notochord cells in vertebrates and their absence in invertebrates.
  • A participant explains that in vertebrates, the neural tube forms through the action of notochord cells, which express specific genes that contribute to the thickening and rolling of the mesoderm.
  • There is a query about how cells of the dorsal blastopore lip determine their direction during invagination, with one participant proposing that chemical signals and gene expression gradients guide this process.
  • Another participant adds that the anatomical differences between vertebrates and invertebrates are significant due to their evolutionary patterns, noting the positioning of major nerves and surrounding structures.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express varying levels of understanding and familiarity with the topic, with some indicating that the discussion is complex. There is no clear consensus on the mechanisms involved, and multiple perspectives on the differences between vertebrate and invertebrate neural structures are presented.

Contextual Notes

Some participants express uncertainty about the details of neuralation and gastrulation, indicating a need for further clarification and exploration of the concepts discussed.

sven222
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Hey guys,

I have a few questions, if you can help me out it would be great. First year bio by the way, so don't get too complex on me. I'm a chemistry major, so excuse my ignorance when it comes to anything biological.

During neuralation, the verterbrate nerve cord is a tube whereas in inverterbrates it is a rod. Why exactly is this?

Also, How do the cells of the dorsal blastopore lip know in which direction to go when they invaginate?

Any help would be great guys :)
 
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hmmm...Way over my head. Way too macro for me

If no one gets back to you, i'll try my biology textbook andsee what I can come up with, but until then, I'll leave this to someone else.
 
Originally posted by Another God
hmmm...Way over my head. Way too macro for me

If no one gets back to you, i'll try my biology textbook andsee what I can come up with, but until then, I'll leave this to someone else.

Thanks, I know exactly what you mean. I much prefer dealing with things on a smaller scale :D

Any help would be much appreciated.
 
Hi Sven! I

Originally posted by sven222
During neuralation, the verterbrate nerve cord is a tube whereas in inverterbrates it is a rod. Why exactly is this?
I didn't know it was a rod in invertebrates.. it must be a different mechanism that forms then. In vertebrates the neural tube forms by the the action of nochord cells which are present along the the central body axis. These cells express Brachyury (Greek for short-tail, the mutant), the mesoderm on top will start to thicken, rolls up into a tube and pinches off from the rest of the cell sheet, thus creating the neural tube.

This notochord is not present in invertebrates.

Also, How do the cells of the dorsal blastopore lip know in which direction to go when they invaginate?
Well, each part of the blastopore is chemically defined, different genes are expressed at posterior, anterior, terminal or dorsoventral sides. This gradient of chemical signals will tell the cell how to grow.
 
Originally posted by sven222
During neuralation, the verterbrate nerve cord is a tube whereas in inverterbrates it is a rod. Why exactly is this?

It due to their anatomy. Vertebrate and invertebrates are dissimilar to great extend due to their evolution parttern. In invertebrate, the major nerve are on the ventral (are ventral ectoderm) and not vertebrae are around the nerve whereas in vertebrate the major nerves on dorsal (derived from dorsal ectoderm) and surrounded by vertenbrae

Also what does to the invertebrate rod becomes versus the nervous tube of invertebrate.
 
Thanks guys :)
 

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