Work

Eukaryotic Chemotaxis: A Network of Signaling Pathways Controls Motility, Directional Sensing, and Polarity

Year: 2010

Type: review

Abstract: Chemotaxis, the directed migration of cells in chemical gradients, is a vital process in normal physiology and in the pathogenesis of many diseases. Chemotactic cells display motility, directional sensing, and polarity. Motility refers to the random extension of pseudopodia, which may be driven by spontaneous actin waves that propagate through the cytoskeleton. Directional sensing is mediated by a system that detects temporal and spatial stimuli and biases motility toward the gradient. Polarity gives cells morphologically and functionally distinct leading and lagging edges by relocating proteins or their activities selectively to the poles. By exploiting the genetic advantages of Dictyostelium, investigators are working out the complex network of interactions between the proteins that have been implicated in the chemotactic processes of motility, directional sensing, and polarity.

Source: Annual Review of Biophysics

DOI: 10.1146/annurev.biophys.093008.131228

Authors: Kristen F. Swaney, Chuan-Hsiang Huang, Peter N. Devreotes

Institution: Johns Hopkins University

Language: English

Topic: Cellular Mechanics and Interactions

Subfield: Cell Biology

Field: Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Domain: Life Sciences

Open Access status: green

Funder: National Institute of General Medical Sciences

Awards: Biochemistry, Cellular and Molecular Biology Program, Signaling Networks in Chemotaxis and Cytokinesis, G617783802, Temporal and Spatial Signaling in Chemotaxis, G-Protein Linked Signaling Pathways in Chemotaxis