title: Evolutionary crossroads in developmental biology: Dictyostelium discoideum.
abstract: Dictyostelium discoideum belongs to a group of multicellular life forms that can also exist for long periods as single cells. This ability to shift between uni- and multicellularity makes the group ideal for studying the genetic changes that occurred at the crossroads between uni- and multicellular life. In this Primer, I discuss the mechanisms that control multicellular development in Dictyostelium discoideum and reconstruct how some of these mechanisms evolved from a stress response in the unicellular ancestor.
authors.affiliation: College of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK. p.schaap@dundee.ac.uk
authors.forename: Pauline
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Schaap
mesh_terms: D005075:Biological Evolution; D015509:Developmental Biology; D004023:Dictyostelium / Q000145:classification / Q000166:cytology / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism*; D008954:Models, Biological; D010802:Phylogeny