Question

I want to study twins in developmental biology. What biological research model is most similar, or could provide insight for twin development in humans? ? List 3 traits of that model organism that would make it well suited for the area of study and explain why.

Answer 1

Developmental biology is the study of the process by which animals and plants grow and develop. Twin studies are studies directed on identical or fraternal twins. They aim towards the importance of environmental and genetic influences for traits, phenotypes, and disorders.

The classical twin model compares the connection of monozygotic (identical) and dizygotic (fraternal) twins:

1. Heretiability

2. Common niche

3. Unshared common environment – which effects one but not the other.

Model to study embyonic development using Human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs):

Human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs):which includes human embryonic stem cells and human induced pluripotent stem cells, can be used as a model system that offers unique advantages for developmental studies.

Two distinctive characteristics of hPSCs make them well suited for studies of human development are:

First, they have the potential to generate every new adult cell type. In vitro culture system also provides a rapid, cost-effective way to probe the function of a gene during a specific developmental process.

Second, hPSCs have unlimited self-renewal capacity, providing abundant material for high-throughput screening process. Such studies provide a platform that truly mimic embryonic development.