Small GTPases in Dictyostelium: lessons from a social amoeba

Although the process of sequencing the Dictyostelium genome is not complete, it is already producing surprises, including an unexpectedly large number of Ras- and Rho-subfamily GTPases. Members of these families control a wide variety of cellular processes in eukaryotes, including proliferation, differentiation, cell motility and cell polarity. Comparison of small GTPases from Dictyostelium with those from higher eukaryotes provides an intriguing view of their cellular and evolutionary roles. In particular, although mammalian pas proteins interact with several signalling pathways, the Dictyostelium pathways appear more linear, with each pas apparently performing a specific cellular function.