Syllabus
The origin and evolution of multicellularity
Concept of multicellularity, intercellular junctions, extracellular matrix
Diversity of cell types in multicellular organisms
Autotrophy and heterotrophy in the multicellular context
Histological and anatomical principles
Principles of developmental biology - the origin of multicellular life forms complexity
Spatial and temporal regulation of multicellular life forms
Physiological principles, feedback mechanisms, hormonal regulation, regulation of size
Origin of patterns (geometry of life) and rhythmicity (chronobiology)
Physiology and functional morphology of sensory organs - case study
Principles of neurobiology
Principles of immunology
Most organisms are not alone - concepts of symbiosis, chimerism, microbiomes.
Annotation
The course From cells to organisms provides a definition of the multicellularity concept using the synthetic approach applied to the structure-function relationship. It covers the mechanisms behind the establishment of the body plans and tussue/organ complexity or sustainability of the complex life forms including evolutionary principles (evo-devo approach). The general principles of multicellularity will be shown on various models, with the emphasis to provide a synthesis of the anatomy, morphology, histology, physiology and developmental biology into one functional educational base.
The course From cells to organisms will set the stage for follow-up courses, particularly Evolution and Ecology.
The course is built from topical blocks (see Syllabus) each of them consisting of lecture (3h) and workshop focused on primary literature as a Q&A session(2h).