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Developmental trajectories, critical windows and phenotypic alteration during cardio-respiratory development
Warren W Burggren1, Kelly S Reyna
1Developmental Integrative Biology Cluster, Department of Biological Sciences, University of North Texas, Denton, TX 76203-5017, USA. burggren@unt.edu
Respiratory Physiology & Neurobiology
|May 21, 2011
Summary
Embryo-environment interactions shape cardio-respiratory development. Critical windows and developmental plasticity influence lifelong health, with epigenetics playing a key role.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Biology
- Evolutionary Biology
- Physiology
Background:
- Embryo-environment interactions are crucial for vertebrate cardio-respiratory development.
- A comprehensive conceptual framework for these interactions is lacking.
- Existing research focuses heavily on vertebrates, with less emphasis on invertebrates.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review conceptual constructs like developmental plasticity, critical windows, and developmental trajectory.
- To apply these concepts to both vertebrate and invertebrate development.
- To explore how embryo-environment interactions influence cardio-respiratory and metabolic phenotypes.
Main Methods:
- Literature review and conceptual synthesis.
- Analysis of examples of cardiovascular, respiratory, and metabolic plasticity.
- Discussion of heterokairy as a subset of phenotypic plasticity.
- Integration of concepts like epigenetics and fetal programming.
Main Results:
- Developmental plasticity and heterokairy are key aspects of phenotypic plasticity.
- Critical windows are overarching in cardio-respiratory development.
- Embryonic self-repair can mitigate negative effects within critical windows.
- Modified developmental trajectories lead to altered adult phenotypes.
Conclusions:
- Embryo-environment interactions significantly impact cardio-respiratory development across taxa.
- Critical windows and developmental plasticity are central to understanding these impacts.
- Epigenetic mechanisms may mediate long-term cardio-respiratory modifications.
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