title: Single cell pattern formation and transient cytoskeletal arrays.
abstract: A major goal of developmental biology is to explain the emergence of pattern in cell layers, tissues and organs. Developmental biologists now accept that reaction diffusion-based mechanisms are broadly employed in developing organisms to direct pattern formation. Here we briefly consider these mechanisms and then apply some of the concepts derived from them to several processes that occur in single cells: wound repair, yeast budding, and cytokinesis. Two conclusions emerge from this analysis: first, there is considerable overlap at the level of general mechanisms between developmental and single cell pattern formation; second, dynamic structures based on the actin cytoskeleton may be far more ordered than is generally recognized.
authors: Laboratory of Cell and Molecular Biology and Department of Zoology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1525 Linden Drive, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA; Oregon Institute of Marine Biology, University of Oregon, P.O. Box 5389, Charleston, OR 97420, USA. Electronic address: wmbement@wisc.edu.
authors: William M
authors: WM
authors: Bement
authors: Laboratory of Cell and Molecular Biology and Department of Zoology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1525 Linden Drive, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA. Electronic address: dassow@uoregon.edu.
authors: George
authors: G
authors: von Dassow
mesh_terms: D008841:Actin Cytoskeleton / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D048430:Cell Shape; D048749:Cytokinesis; D003599:Cytoskeleton / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans