Directional sensing during chemotaxis

Cells have the innate ability to sense and move towards a variety of chemoattractants. We investigate the pathways by which cells sense and respond to chemoattractant gradients. We focus on the model system Dictyostelium and compare our understanding of chemotaxis in this system with recent advances made using neutrophils and other mammalian cell types, which share many molecular components and signaling pathways with Dictyostelium. This review also examines models that have been proposed to explain how cells are able to respond to small differences in ligand concentrations between the anterior leading edge and posterior of the cell. In addition, we highlight the overlapping functions of many signaling components in diverse processes beyond chemotaxis, including random cell motility and cell division. (C) 2008 Federation of European Biochemical Societies. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.