... and Thompson, 2001 ). Developing cells aggregate together and organise themselves into a fruiting body. Midway through development, approximately one-fifth of the cells in each aggregate differentiate as prestalk cells, while the remainder differentiate as prespore cells. There are two principal sub...

... histolytica . The cudA gene is expressed by the prestalk cells that constitute the slug tip (the pstA cells), it is not detectably expressed in the band of prestalk cells that lies behind the tip (the pstO cells) but it is expressed in the prespore cells. This unusual pattern of expression suggests a role...

... gene ecmB gene culmination prestalk cells β-glucuronidase Under conditions that are inappropriate for immediate culmination the Dictyostelium aggregate forms itself into a migratory slug. This is phototactic and thermotactic and these sensitivities direct it to a suitable site...

... sequences. We propose two distinct mechanisms whereby a mRNA may become enriched in prestalk cells. An apparently small number of genes, represented by those we have isolated, is inducible by DIF and accumulates only in prestalk cells. We suggest that a second class of prestalk-enriched mRNA sequences...