title: Morphogenesis in dictyostelium: an orbital hypothesis.
abstract: Free-living amoebae of Dictyostelium discoideum aggregate when deprived food, guided by the intercellular transmission of signals of adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate. A succession of multicellular forms is then constructed, each with a circular cross section in every plane normal to its central axis. Amoebae are in constant circular and helical motion around the circumference of these structures. A theory is proposed wherein the sustained progagation of waves of cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate secretion in cellular loops determines their circumference and thereby organizes morphogenesis in this organism.
mesh_terms: D002449:Cell Aggregation; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002465:Cell Movement; D002633:Chemotaxis / Q000187:drug effects; D000242:Cyclic AMP / Q000494:pharmacology; D004023:Dictyostelium / Q000166:cytology*; D009024:Morphogenesis
chemical_list: D000242:Cyclic AMP