Dictyostelium discoideum: a model system for cell-cell interactions in development.
The cellular slime mold Dictyostelium discoideum undergoes a transition from single-celled amoebae to a multicellular organism as a natural part of its life cycle. A method of cell-cell signaling that controls chemotaxis, morphogenesis, and gene expression has developed in this organism, and a detailed understanding of this signaling system provides clues to mechanisms of intercellular communication in the development of metazoans.
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Department of Biological Chemistry, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205.
D002450:Cell Communication; D002465:Cell Movement; D002633:Chemotaxis; D004023:Dictyostelium / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000502:physiology; D005800:Genes, Fungal; D008954:Models, Biological; D009024:Morphogenesis; D015398:Signal Transduction