SIGNAL TRANSDUCTION IN DICTYOSTELIUM
(Peter van Haastert)
The primary aim of this research is to obtain a fundamental understanding of the molecular mechanism of signal transduction. During signal transduction information is transferred from the extracellular space to intracellular targets. This transfer has no primary metabolic function but serves to control the proper functioning of the cell. Therefore, these systems have evolved to maximize control functions as opposed to efficient energy consumption. These studies are performed with the micro-organism Dictyostelium, because this organism is genetically tractable and still has many properties of mammalian cells, including amoeboid shape, locomotion and complex protein modification.
