Advertisement

If you have an ACS member number, please enter it here so we can link this account to your membership. (optional)

ACS values your privacy. By submitting your information, you are gaining access to C&EN and subscribing to our weekly newsletter. We use the information you provide to make your reading experience better, and we will never sell your data to third party members.

ENJOY UNLIMITED ACCES TO C&EN

Biological Chemistry

Cell Antennas Tune In To Chemical Signals

Thin, fingerlike protrusions are essential in aiding cells to trace molecular messages they need for development

by Sarah Everts
April 18, 2011 | A version of this story appeared in Volume 89, Issue 16

[+]Enlarge
Credit: Science
Cells receive chemical signals through wispy filopodia extensions.
Credit: Science
Cells receive chemical signals through wispy filopodia extensions.

When cells in a developing animal grow to form tissues and organs, they often are responding to gradients of chemical signals, yet the precise mechanisms by which these molecular messages are received and transduced remain unknown. Research led by Thomas B. Kornberg of the University of California, San Francisco, suggests that thin, fingerlike protrusions from the cell known as filopodia or cytonemes play a part in this process (Science, DOI: 10.1126/science.1198949). Kornberg’s team, which discovered the existence of the mysterious protrusions in 1999, took a closer look at filopodia function in cells that develop into the eyes, airways, and wings of fruit flies. The researchers found that developing cells extend filopodia when they sense particular protein signals made by different sets of cells. Signaling protein receptors aggregate in the filopodia and orient toward the cells that are producing the recognized molecular signal. In this way, the developing cell can tune its reception for chemical signals in different directions as needed.

Article:

This article has been sent to the following recipient:

0 /1 FREE ARTICLES LEFT THIS MONTH Remaining
Chemistry matters. Join us to get the news you need.