Flower dooms cells to death.
In Drosophila imaginal discs, viable cells are outcompeted by their faster growing neighbors in a process called "cell competition." A new study in this issue of Developmental Cell identifies the membrane protein Flower as being specifically induced in the outcompeted cells and required for their ensuing apoptosis.
Gallant
Peter
P
Universität Würzburg, Physiologische Chemie 2, Biozentrum, Am Hubland, 97074 Würzburg, Germany. peter.gallant@biozentrum.uni-wuerzburg.de