Eukaryotic chemotaxis: a network of signaling pathways controls motility, directional sensing, and polarity

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 s...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inAnnual review of biophysics Vol. 39; p. 265
Main Authors Swaney, Kristen F, Huang, Chuan-Hsiang, Devreotes, Peter N
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States 01.01.2010
Subjects
Cell Polarity
Chemotaxis
Chemotaxis, Leukocyte
Dictyostelium - cytology
Dictyostelium - metabolism
Eukaryota - cytology
Eukaryota - metabolism
Neutrophils - cytology
Neutrophils - metabolism
Signal Transduction
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Summary: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.
ISSN:1936-1238
DOI:10.1146/annurev.biophys.093008.131228