Communication by touch: role of cellular extensions in complex animals.
Neurons make networks of intercellular connections. Many other cells also send out long cellular extensions and "touch" other cells far away. The extensions are intriguing, but what do they do? Possible rationales for this cell behavior include: (1) forming precise binary connections with the possibility of forming more complex networks, and (2) coupling of signaling with physical force.
Rørth
Pernille
P
Developmental Biology Programme, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Meyerhofstrasse 1, 69117, Heidelberg, Germany. rorth@EMBL.de
D000818:Animals; D019521:Body Patterning / Q000502:physiology; D002450:Cell Communication / Q000502:physiology*; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000502:physiology*; D002465:Cell Movement / Q000502:physiology*; D004622:Embryo, Mammalian / Q000166:cytology / Q000196:embryology*; D005057:Eukaryotic Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D011554:Pseudopodia / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology*