title: Loss of FrmA leads to increased cell-cell adhesion and impaired multi-cellular development of Dictyostelium cells.
abstract: Cell-cell adhesion is a critical property of all multi-cellular organisms and its correct regulation is critical during development, differentiation, tissue building and maintenance, and many immune responses. The multi-talin-like FERM domain containing protein, FrmA, is required during starvation-induced multi-cellular development of Dictyostelium cells. Loss of FrmA leads to increased cell-cell adhesion and results in impaired multi-cellular development, slug migration and fruiting bodies. Further, mixing experiments show that FrmA null cells are excluded from the apex of wild-type mounds, to which cells that normally form the organising centre known as the tip sort. These data suggest a critical role for FrmA in regulating cell-cell adhesion, multi-cellular development and, in particular, the formation of the organising centre known as the tip.
authors.affiliation: Edinburgh Cancer Research Centre, The University of Edinburgh, Crewe Road South, Edinburgh EH4 2XR, Scotland. h.patel@ed.ac.uk
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Patel
authors.forename: V G
authors.initials: VG
authors.lastname: Brunton
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002448:Cell Adhesion / Q000235:genetics; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000235:genetics; D004023:Dictyostelium / Q000166:cytology / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development*; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D015800:Protozoan Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: C089971:LagC protein, Dictyostelium discoideum; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D015800:Protozoan Proteins; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins