University of the Philippines Visayas

TACLOBAN COLLEGE

Zoo 131 – Introduction to Developmental Biology of Animals

Second Semester AY 2022-2023

Module 8 – Gastrulation

STUDY GUIDE

Introduction

Welcome to Module 8 of Zoo 131.

Gastrulation is a vital event in early embryonic development as it establishes the three primary
tissues of an embryo namely the ectoderm, the mesoderm, and the endoderm. Loosely defined,
gastrulation is the process of highly coordinated cell and tissue movements whereby the cells of
the blastula are dramatically rearranged, giving the cells new positions resulting in a
multilayered body plan of the organism.

The movements of gastrulation involve the entire embryo, and cell migrations in one part of the
gastrulating embryo must be intimately coordinated with the other movements occurring
simultaneously. Depending on the species, gastrulation is achieved in different ways. However,
there are only a few basic types of cell movements that can be observed. During invagination, a
region of cells fold much like a soft rubber ball when it is poked. The inturning or inward
movement of an expanding outer layer so that it spreads over the internal surface of the
remaining external surface is called involution. Meanwhile the migration of individual cells from
the surface layer into the interior of an embryo defines ingression. In delamination, one sheet of
cells splits into two more or less parallel sheets while in epiboly epithelial sheets (usually
ectodermal cells) spread as a unit to enclose deeper layers of the embryo.

Learning Outcomes

After completing the topics this week, you should be able to:
1. describe the physiological changes during gastrulation;
2. explain the importance of gastrulation in a developing embryo;
3. differentiate the different gastrulation movements; and
4. discuss the process of gastrulation in the different animal representatives.
Study Schedule

This module should be completed by April 14, 2023. There are 5 activities, which will take about
3 hours for you to complete as shown in the table.

Activity Task Allotted Time Mode

Number

Activity 1 Read gastrulation movements 1 hour and 30 Asynchronous

minutes (should be
done before
coming to f2f
class)

Activity 2 Quiz 1 15 minutes F2F

Activity 3 Deep dive discussion 1 (changes during 1 hour and 15 F2F

gastrulation, importance of gastrulation, minutes
types of gastrulation movement)

Activity 4 Deep dive discussion 2 (gastrulation in 1 hour and 15 F2F

different animals) minutes

Activity 5 Quiz 2 15 minutes F2F

Now proceed with Activity 1 and the rest of the module.

Activity 1 (1 hour and 30 minutes)

1) Read the different gastrulation movements in the different representative animals (pp pp
162 - 163; 172 - 176; 185 - 187; 191 - 192; 199 - 200; 244 - 251; 288 - 293; 304 - 309).

2) Define the following terms and make sure to understand their roles during gastrulation:
a) cell adhesion molecules
b) cadherins
c) integrins
d) desmosomes

3) Answer the following guide questions as self check:

a) What are the physiological changes during gastrulation?
b) What are the results of gastrulation?
c) What are the different types of gastrulation movement?
d) How does gastrulation happen in the different animals?

Activity 2 (15 minutes)

1) The first 15 minutes of the f2f meeting will be a pre-quiz on gastrulation. The quiz will
cover all topics that are covered under the gastrulation topic.
Activity 3 (1 hour and 15 minutes)

1. The first deep dive discussion on gastrulation will cover the topics on the basics of
gastrulation including the physiological changes during gastrulation, the importance of
gastrulation, and the different gastrulation movement.

Activity 4 (1 hour and 15 minutes)

1. The second deep dive discussion for gastrulation will cover the different gastrulation
movements in the different animal representatives.

Activity 5 (15 minutes)

1. The last 15 minutes of the meeting will be used for a quiz covering the topics discussed.

Concluding Note

Now that we already know how the germ layers are established in the different animals
discussed, we will continue the journey of a developing embryo with neurulation. In the next
module, we will discuss how the neural tube forms as well as the events during primary and
secondary neurulation. We will also cover neural tube defects and disorders.

References

Gilbert, SF. 2003. Developmental Biology 7th Edition. Sinauer Associates, Inc.

Lumen Learning. Biology for Majors II. Module 16. Reproductive System – Gastrulation.
Accessed from https://courses.lumenlearning.com/wm-biology2/chapter/gastrulation/ . License
by CC Attribution

Rauzi M, Krzic U, Saunders TE, Krajnc M, Ziherl P, Hufnagel L, Leptin M. 2015. Embryo-scale
tissue mechanics during Drosophila gastrulation movements. Nat Commun. Oct 26;6:8677. doi:
10.1038/ncomms9677. PMID: 26497898; PMCID: PMC4846315.

Solnica - Krezel, L. 2020. Gastrulation: From Embryonic Pattern to Form. Elsevier Inc.