G-Protein Linked Signal Transduction Pathways in Development:Dictyostetium as an Experimental System

It has been 22 years since cAMP was identified as the acrasin, i.e., the chemotactic substance mediating aggregation in Dictyostelium discoideum. cAMP is also known to control gene expression throughout development via cell surface cAMP receptors. Over the last few years, substantial progress has been made in understanding these pathways at a biochemical and molecular level. In this article, we review our present understanding of these mechanisms and compare this system with those controlling similar processes in other eukaryotes